Shark In The Water
by PancakesAndSunshine
Summary: Something happens to Emily, and Hotch is the one to comfort her. What happens when he takes her under his wing? Rated T, borderline M. Read at your own discretion! R&R please!
1. Where Am I?

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I realize that this story is going to be a little bit like Daisyangel's story "Comfort Food and Friends," but not TOTALLY like it. Just putting that out there!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything!**

-This morning-

_Brrang, brrang!_

"Ugh," Emily groaned, waving her hand blindly as she tried to find the 'OFF' button on her alarm clock. It was Sunday morning. Why the hell was it going off at five thirty in the morning?

Oh, right. Maybe because it was Monday…

Emily yawned, stretching her arms behind her head and dragging herself to get out of bed. She twisted the knob on her shower all the way to "HOT" and sighed as the water hit her back softly. She massaged her hair with shampoo then rinsed, proceeding to rub in the conditioner. As she waited for it to settle, she rubbed her body clean with soap. She then rinsed her entire body off, then twisted the knob. She stepped out of the shower and rubbed her hair dry with a towel, then dried her body off.

-Now-

_Where the hell am I? _Was her first thought.

Then the pain came.

"Perfect. You're awake," a man's voice projected through the room.

"What the hell?" she asked angrily.

"Oh, sweetheart, you don't want to make me angry, do you? No, you don't. So play nice," he growled, swinging his fist at her face. She gasped in pain.

"Who the fuck are you?"

"Dear darling, please don't make me mad."

Emily whimpered as a pain thundered between her thighs.

"What did you do to me?" she breathed heavily.

The man knelt down next to her and touched her hair. She shrunk away and pulled her head back, grimacing.

"You want to know what I did to you? I'll let you know by doing it again," he grinned evilly. She held her breath, wiggling away from him. Unfortunately, the man held her down with one arm.

"Oh, sweetie. Come on. We're gonna have some fun," he mumbled excitedly.

She screamed as he took advantage of her. With every movement, her body seared with pain.

"Please! Stop!" she screamed. Those were her last words before she blacked out from the unbearable pain.

-Meanwhile-

"Pen?" JJ swung into Garcia's 'lair'.

"Yes, my lovely blonde macaroon?" Garcia quipped, swinging around in her chair.

"Where's Em?" JJ asked concernedly.

"I unfortunately do not have an answer for you, dear," Garcia replied.

"Oh, okay. She's never usually late. I wonder where she is…" JJ contemplated out loud.

"It's okay sugar. I'm sure Em will be here soon," Garcia assured. JJ nodded with a doubtful look on her face and bowed out of the room.

"JJ," Hotch said briskly.

"Oh, yeah?" she asked.

"Get the team into SUV's. It's Prentiss," he told her grimly.


	2. Once Was Enough

**Author's Note: Hi-i-i there! Here's chapter two. Enjoy!**

The team burst out of the SUV's and flew into the building. Morgan flashed his badge at a nurse, who immediately came to his aide.

"Can I help you, sir?" she asked.

"Where is Agent Emily Prentiss?" he demanded, more harsh than intended.

"I'm sorry, sir, but she's just entered surgery. I'm afraid I can't let any of you in. You can all wait in the lobby, if you wish," she said apologetically.

"Damn it," Morgan spat once the nurse walked away. He pounded his fist against the wall.

"S-she's in surgery?" Garcia trembled.

"What the hell could've happened to land her in surgery?" Rossi asked, infuriated. Hotch sat down calmly on a lobby chair and took a deep breath, running his hands through his hair.

"Reid," JJ whispered to the youngest member of the team. He was sitting in the far corner of the room, tears streaming down his face.

"JJ, we lost her once. And even then, she wasn't really gone. What if we lose her for real?" he asked. JJ rubbed his back as tears began to well back up in her own eyes.

"Don't say that, Spence. She'll be okay," she said. She wasn't too sure. It was more like she was assuring herself.

"Aaron, how are you holding up?" Rossi asked, sitting down next to Hotch who was hunched over, his fingers interlaced with each other.

"I-I don't know," he mumbled. All of a sudden, his phone vibrated. He fumbled around in his coat pocked for it, then pressed the 'call' button.

"Hello?"

"Hi Dad," Jack's thirteen-year-old voice came over the phone.

"Hey, buddy. How are you?"

"I'm okay. Why aren't you home yet?"

"I-I'm at the hospital," Hotch said quietly.

"Oh no, Dad, what's wrong?"

"I-I'm fine, but Emily is in surgery right now."

"E-Emily as in… Emmy, Emily?" Jack asked sadly.

"Yeah. I-We don't know what happened yet, but we're hoping she'll be okay. Get your homework done for me, okay buddy?" Hotch said.

"Okay, Dad. C-can you call me when she's done?"

"I promise buddy. Tell Aunt Jessica what's going on, okay?" he said before hanging up.

-Meanwhile-

Jack placed the phone back in its socket and took a deep breath.

"Aunt Jessica?" Jack called from the living room.

"Yeah?" Jessica replied, coming from the kitchen and wiping her hands on a towel.

"What's up?"

"You remember Emily Prentiss from Dad's work? The one who used to babysit me?"

"Yeah, I liked her. She always covered for me when I couldn't be here," Jessica recalled.

"S-she's in surgery at the hospital," Jack choked. A tear welled in his eye. Jessica gasped.

"W-what?"

"Dad just told me when I called him. That's why he's late," Jack replied, his voice shaky.

"Oh my God… Do you think we should go over there?"

Jack shook his head.

"No, Dad told me to stay home and do my homework," Jack said, frustrated. Jessica softened at the sight of Jack's turmoil.

"Sweetie, I know it's hard, but just try and focus, okay? I'm sure Emily will be fine," Jessica attempted to reassure Jack, running her hand through his hair. He managed a shaky smile at his ever-optimistic aunt and trudged to his room to do his homework.

He pulled out his Physics book and flipped on his lamp, but somehow, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't wrap his head around his homework. It's not like he and Emily were really even that close.

That was a lie, and he knew it.

Whenever Emily came to babysit him when he was younger, she would always smell like a mixture of vanilla and lavender. She would always read him whatever book he wanted, rent any movie of his choice, and take him out to Sonic to get a shake and fries. He reminisced in the memories of the woman who always kept candy in the upper right drawer of her desk. Would she ever slip him his favorite peppermint again?

_No, Jack, come on, man. Stop thinking like that._ He scolded himself. He rested his cheek on his hand and stared out the window at the gray, cloudy sky.

Finally snapping out of his daze, he undressed and haphazardly tossed his clothes onto the floor, pulling on his PJ's. Sitting back down, he scanned the pictures that were plastered on his wall above his desk.

There were multiple ones of him and Henry in different places; the zoo, the mall, even at Six Flags from their trip last year. Then there were some of him, his father, and his mom at various times; Christmas, Thanksgiving, at the beach… He missed those times, but he knew that he would see his mom again. Moving his eyes over the many pictures on his wall, he saw the corner that made up the pictures of him and Emily.

There were a couple from that time at the mall; there was the picture that she took when they were sharing the over-sized root beer; a few taken at the bullpen, and a couple from the time when the whole team and families went to the beach. Tears subconsciously fell down his face as he stared at the pictures.

Taking him back to reality, Jessica knocked softly on his door and opened it just a crack so that she could see him.

"Sweetie, dinner's ready. You can eat in here if you want," she said, knowing that Hotch never let him eat in his room. Under the circumstances, his thirteen year old son eating in his room wasn't exactly a top-priority problem.

"Its fine, Aunt Jessica. I'll eat out there with you," he said quietly, getting up from his chair. Jessica offered him a tight-lipped, sympathetic smile as the two of them made their way down the hall.

**Author's Note: This story is officially under way! Yay! I'll update as soon as I can. Meanwhile, you should check out some of my other stories. ;) **


	3. What If?

**Author's Note: Hey guys! So far, I'm REALLY enjoying writing this story. Hope you're enjoying reading it! This chapter is where a little Hotly comes in. Heh. Hehe. Hehehehe!**

"Henry? Baby, wake up," JJ gently coaxed her eight-year-old son from his nap on the couch. He was covered in his favorite blanket, snuggling his stuffed Simba lion that she'd gotten for him years ago.

"Ugh," he groaned, rubbing his eye sleepily.

"Hey buddy. Dad's at a meeting so I have to take you with me," she flashed a tear-filled grin.

"Mommy? What's wrong?" he asked, noting the tears in his mother's eyes. JJ sniffled and rubbed the tears away with the back of her hand.

"Come here," she said, gesturing with her hands. Henry climbed into his mother's lap and looked up at her with profound interest.

"Mommy, what happened?"

"You remember Emily, right?"

"Yeah. I liked Miss Emily. When is she gonna come babysit for me again?" he asked excitedly.

"Henry, she's in the hospital, a-and i-it's not looking v-very g-good, so we have to g-go back and you have to come with me," JJ trembled.

"What do you mean?"

"I-We don't know what happened, but she got hurt pretty bad and sh-she's i-in sur-surgery right now," JJ managed.

"B-but…" Henry trailed, tears beginning to form in his eyes. JJ wiped them away gently.

"Mommy, is she gonna be okay?" he asked, shaking a little.

"I-I don't know buddy," she said truthfully, tears taking their place in her eyes again. Henry snuggled into her shoulder, small sobs wracking his tiny frame.

"Shh, it's going to be okay," she half-lied. He pulled away from his mother's body and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Do you have homework?" she asked.

"A little. I got tired from basketball in P.E. today and I kinda fell asleep on the couch," he said sheepishly. JJ had always told him that his homework was a first priority, but now, she didn't mind.

"It's okay. You can do it in the lobby with me. Hotch told Jack to stay home, but I'm sure you'll be fine, okay? I'll go grab the iPad and we can charge it in the car. Go get your homework and stuff, okay?" she asked, standing up and ruffling his hair. He nodded up at her and scrambled to get his things into his backpack to take to the hospital.

-Back at the hospital-

Penelope was seated in a chair next to Morgan, leaning her curly-hair covered head on his hard shoulder. He was stroking each individual curl, attempting to calm her down. Her tears had left makeup trails down her face, which Morgan had ever so kindly pointed out, but honestly, she didn't care.

"Derek?" she asked quietly.

"What, Baby Girl?"

"W-what if Em d-doesn't… Doesn't make it?" she forced out tearfully.

"Shh, Baby Girl, don't talk like that. Princess will be fine," he lied.

"But Morgan-"

"She'll be fine."

At that moment, JJ walked into the waiting room, holding Henry's hand. His backpack was shifting on his back and in his other hand; he held the family iPad and charger. He let go of JJ and slumped in the corner on the floor and spread out his homework. JJ knelt in front of him and kissed his forehead.

"Uncle Spence is here in case you need help, okay?" she asked. Henry looked up and nodded, then returned to his math homework.

JJ took a seat next to Reid, leaned back, and began nervously biting her nails.

"Since when have you bitten your nails?" Reid asked in a joking tone.

"Bad habit from… Em," she choked. Tears spilled again, and she raced to the bathroom in record time.

As soon as JJ left, a surgeon walked into the room.

"Emily Prentiss?" he asked.

The team immediately stood up.

"I'm sorry guys, but it's not looking very good. We're doing everything we can at the moment, but it's not going too well. We'll let you know if there are any drastic changes," the surgeon informed grimly.

"Well, can you at least tell us what happened to her?" Morgan demanded, holding back his infuriation.

"She suffered a blunt force trauma multiple times to the head, she's broken all of her ribs, her pelvis has suffered great damage, and she's got multiple stab wounds. She lost very close to all her blood, and… Ahem," the surgeon cleared his throat and directed a look towards an oblivious Henry, whose head was still down and focusing on his homework. Garcia moved over to him and covered both his ears with her hands.

"There are tremendous amounts of sexual abuse," he finished. Morgan let out a frustrated "God damn it!" and banged his fists against the wall. Again.

Garcia began to shudder with tears, dropping her hands from Henry's head. Rossi looked down and made the sign of the cross, then dropped to his knees and began to pray. Reid burst out into tears, turning away into the corner so the team wouldn't see. The surgeon bowed out of the room just as JJ came back.

"What the hell happened?" she asked.

"JJ, come here," Morgan said quietly. As he explained what happened, Hotch flew from his seat and into a bathroom stall. He rolled up his sleeves and hunched over the toilet, the contents of his stomach spilling into the bowl. He took many deep, ragged breaths before it all came up again. He rinsed out his mouth and wiped it off with a paper towel, then sunk to the ground. He pulled at his hair as tears began to stream down his face.

"FUCK!" he screamed.

_Why is it always Emily? Why couldn't this have been you? Jack is thirteen years old. He can take care of himself just fine. He's got Jessica, so why not?_

_**No, stop that, Aaron. **_Emily's voice spoke in his head. He looked up and around the bathroom, but she was nowhere to be found.

"W-what?" he asked, genuinely confused.

_**Aaron, don't talk like that. Please. You're an amazing father to Jack. He said so.**_

"Emily, I let his mother _get murdered_. He hid in a God-damned bench just to keep himself safe because his _dad couldn't be there_. Am I really that great of a father when you put it into perspective?" he spat back at the voice.

_**Fine. Think that way. Just know that he loves you so much, and he's honored to have a father like you.**_

Hotch felt a sudden emptiness in the room, almost like Emily's 'spirit' had been there.

No, that's not right. People don't have spirits until they're dead.

But he had heard stories… He wiped his tears away as much as possible then stood up slowly. He took a deep breath, and then exited the bathroom.

**Author's Note: Hay hay hay! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Look out for Chapter 4, coming soon to local computer screens near you! Okay bye. **


	4. My Wish

**Author's Note: I think this is my favorite story so far… Hope you're enjoying it! I realize that they might be a little OOC because they're not really related to Emily, but come on. It's FanFiction. FICTION being the key word. Anyway… Have fun!**

"Aaron, are you alright?" Rossi asked quietly. Hotch looked up at him, his wet eyes clearly depressed.

"No, David, I don't think I am," he said truthfully. Rossi placed his hand on Hotch's shoulder.

"Do you need to talk?" he asked.

"I'm okay."

"Just let me know."

And with that, Rossi took his seat next to Penelope. Hotch let out a deep sigh and pulled out his cell.

"Hey, Aaron," Hotch heard Jessica's voice from the other end of the line.

"Hey, Jessica. How's Jack doing?" he asked concernedly.

"He's not taking it too well," Jessica informed him grimly.

"Can you tell him he can come over now?" he asked.

"Of course Aaron. I'll see you there."

-Hotchner Residence-

Jack scooped the last of his ice cream out of his bowl and into his mouth. He was sitting on the couch, curled up in a blanket watching N.C.I.S. He felt like a girl after a traumatic breakup: sitting on the couch and eating their heart out.

"Hey, Jack?" Jessica called from the kitchen.

"What?" he groaned.

"Your dad said I can take you to the hospital now," she told him.

"Let's go!" Jack cried, jumping up from the couch. He grabbed his jacket and his cell phone from his room, and then ran to put his shoes on, nearly tripping over his soccer cleats. He jammed his ratty sneakers onto each foot and stood up with a huff.

"You're going in your pajamas?" Jessica raised an eyebrow. He shot her a look, meaner than intended. She held her hands up in surrender, grabbed her own jacket, then locked the door behind the two of them before they headed down to the car.

As soon as they were in Jessica's minivan, Jack pushed the "ON" button on the radio.

_I hope that days come easy_

_And moments pass slow_

_And each road leads you_

_Where you want to go_

A tear escaped from Jack's eye as the song _My Wish _by Rascal Flatts came on.

_And if you're faced with a choice_

_And you have to choose_

_I hope you choose the one_

_That means the most to you_

This was the song that Emily had always sung to him to put him to sleep. He would also catch her humming it after she put him to bed.

_And if one door opens to another _

_Door closed_

_I hope you keep on walkin'_

'_Till you find the window_

Jack broke down. Tears were now flooding down the sullen teenager's face. Jessica looked at him with sympathy from the driver's seat. Jack turned so that he was facing the window. He swore he was getting carsick, so he rolled down the window and took a deep breath of fresh air. He reached over and shut off the radio. He buried his head in the crook of his elbow and remained there for the rest of the ride.

The minute the car stopped, Jack ripped off his seatbelt and flew into the building. A nurse stopped him.

"Excuse me, son, can I help you?" he asked, slightly worried at the bewildered look on Jack's face.

"I-I'm here f-for…" he stuttered.

"Slow down, kid," the nurse said gently.

"We're here for Emily Prentiss," Jessica rescued Jack, coming up behind him. The nurse nodded in understanding and lead them to the waiting room.

"Thank you," Jessica said, flashing a sad smile at the nurse. He nodded and walked off.

"Uncle Dave," Jack breathed. Rossi accepted the boy in his arms and rubbed his back.

"U-uncle Dave, w-what happened to her?" Jack whimpered, noting Henry's presence and tugging at Rossi's sleeve. They turned the corner, and Rossi gestured to a lone chair. Jack slumped into it, looking up at the older man.

"What happened to her?" Jack demanded. Rossi understood the teenager's angst.

"She's got some head injuries, all broken ribs, her pelvis is cracked, and she has multiple stab wounds," Rossi hesitated. Jack noted the man's indisposition and looked at him directly in the eye. Brown on brown.

"What else, Uncle Dave? C'mon, you can tell me," Jack persuaded.

Rossi knelt down next to the shaggy-haired boy and placed a hand on his knee.

"She was… Sexually assaulted as well," Rossi forced. Even for the older man who should've held the best composure in this whole fiasco, he choked back tears. Only he had known what happened to her when she was fifteen in Italy. He could understand how hard a time it must've been for her. He didn't want the poor woman to go through it again.

"What the fu-" Jack started, but Rossi held up his finger.

"Think twice before finishing that sentence in front of me," Rossi warned warmly.

"Uncle Dave," Jack began to sob. Rossi gathered up the boy in his arms for another hug, then helped him up and back into the waiting room.

"Jack, come here," Penelope called. Jack nodded solemnly, and in that moment, Penelope saw that he couldn't have looked any more like his father.

"Aunt Penelope," he moaned into her shoulder. He wet the sleeve of her neon shirt with tears as she pet his hair gently. She wrapped one arm around his shoulders and he wrapped both of his around hers. Penelope pressed an endearing kiss to the crown of his head and squeezed him gently. He lifted his head from her shoulder and forced a watery smile. He stalked off to sit in the most isolated chair. He noted that his father wasn't in the room.

"Jack?" Henry asked quietly and cautiously. Jack quickly sniffled and wiped his tears away with the back of his hand.

"What's up Henry?" Jack asked sadly.

"Are you okay?" Henry checked. Jack patted the chair next to him, and the young boy obliged.

"I don't know. How are you holding up?" Jack asked him.

Henry shrugged, but hung his head. Jack let his older brother side show through as he ruffled Henry's hair.

"It'll be okay," Jack silently promised.

**Author's Note: O-okay! That's it for this chapter! Look out for more… Hope you enjoyed it!**


	5. Okay

**Author's Note: Hi, hi, hello! What's up, FF friends? Okay I'm sure you want to read the story now… So here's Chapter 5! Oh, and I'm sure some of you were wondering, but this is post-Season Six. So, if you haven't seen season six or don't want to be spoiled by it, I suggest you stop now!**

"Emily Prentiss?" the same surgeon asked. Everybody, including Henry this time, stood. Jack noticed that his father had come back into the room. Hotch acknowledged his son with the squeeze of his shoulder.

"What happened? Is she alright?" Penelope piped up this time. The surgeon let out a sigh.

"She's not fine, but she's alive. We've successfully completed the surgery, but she'll need to remain at the hospital for another week or so," the surgeon delivered the news. Jack sunk to his knees and made the sign of the cross, happy tears flowing from his eyes. Penelope, JJ, and Reid all burst into happy tears.

"Oh my God," Rossi sighed, making the sign of the cross as well. The rest of the team followed Rossi and Jack's example.

"We can allow visitors right now. Let me remind you, she's in bad shape, so don't tick her off," the surgeon warned. Everybody went forward, but Hotch stayed behind. Jack noticed his father, kneeling on the floor.

"Dad?" Jack whispered softly.

"She's okay," Hotch said in amazed disbelief. He looked up at Jack.

"Jack… She's gonna be okay," Hotch sighed. Jack began to smile as he pulled his father up.

"You really love her, don't you?" Jack suspected.

"Yeah, Jack. Yeah, I do," Hotch admitted to his son. Jack smirked.

"What?"

"Nothing, Dad. Now what do you say we go visit Emmy?"

"I like the sound of that," Hotch grinned through happy tears. Father and son walked to Emily's bedside.

Hotch gasped at her condition. Her hair was sprawled across a snow-white pillow, of which JJ was stroking gently. Emily's face was deathly pale, and she was limp, but she was alive. The heart rate monitor was at a surprisingly healthy pace. He wanted to faint from happiness, but he knew he couldn't.

Her normally full lips were grayish and cracked, and her eyes were shut. Many tubes ran through her body and connected onto various machines. He nearly cried at the sight of all the machinery that was attached to Emily's body.

"She's gonna be okay, Henry," JJ smiled down at her son who was wearing a mask. Normally, they didn't take children into emergency rooms unless they were at least twelve, but Henry had been an exception to the stiff rule.

Henry looked up at her, his eyes smiling. JJ ruffled his hair and took a deep breath. Her best friend was going to be okay.

"Spencer, you good?" Penelope asked Reid, who was standing in the corner. There was a sort of angelic look on his face that Penelope had never seen before.

"Never better," he grinned truthfully. Penelope chuckled and pushed him gently, causing the thing, clumsy 30-year-old to stumble backwards and into the wall. He frowned, but then immediately chuckled once Penelope feigned concern.

"Are you okay now?" Rossi looked at Hotch. Hotch had a smile on his face. Aside from the fact that Emily probably couldn't come back to work for a long while, she was okay, and she was alive. The moment was broken when what looked like a doctor swung her head into the room.

"Excuse me, can I talk to you two?" she gestured to JJ and Hotch. They shared a look and nodded, following the doctor into the hall.

"What is it?" JJ asked tensely.

"It's not bad news," the doctor assured. JJ sighed.

"Actually, it depends how you take it," the doctor lead on. Both JJ and Hotch's eyes widened.

"What's happened?" Hotch asked, eager to find out what was going on with Emily.

"We've run some tests, and it seems like Miss Prentiss is… pregnant."

**Author's Note: Really, really super short, I know. But I HAD to get something in there, right? Keep your eyes peeled!**


	6. Recover

**Author's Note: Yeah, I know, a little cliffy in the past chapter. I just want to make all your lives miserable. Kidding! Kidding… Enjoy!**

"_It seems like Miss Prentiss is… Pregnant."_

The words rang out in Hotch's ears. JJ opened her mouth just enough for her to be able to wet her lips, then immediately shut it.

"Wh-Are you sure?" JJ asked. The doctor looked up at her.

"Well, of course we're sure. We just ran the tests," the doctor nodded. JJ nodded and the doctor walked away.

"She-she's pregnant," Hotch said in disbelief.

"Y-yeah," JJ continued. She raked her hand through her hair, took a deep breath, then set off back towards the hospital room.

Hotch doubled over, his stomach churning. Apparently, the butterflies in his stomach had decided to take some last-minute Jiu-Jitsu classes. He took a deep breath, but the butterflies wouldn't quit it.

-Hospital Room-

"Ugh," Emily groaned quietly. All eyes were now on her.

"Emily?" JJ asked hopefully.

"Wh…" Emily hissed in pain as her eyes opened. All color was brought back to her face. She moistened her lips then closed her mouth.

"What the… what?" Emily asked, confused beyond measure.

"She's awake!" everybody gasped. Emily squinted in the harsh light and attempted to sit up, but she winced and let out a ragged breath.

"Em, you okay?" Penelope asked cautiously.

"I think so. Would you mind telling me what happened?" Emily asked.

"Well, we got a call from the hospital, and now here we are," JJ explained.

"Wow. Real specific, aren't we, Jareau?" Emily asked sarcastically. JJ pulled back.

"No, I'm sorry," Emily said quickly, placing a hand to her forehead, blocking out the light.

"It's okay."

"Could you at least tell me what happened?" Emily asked. JJ gave a look towards Jack, who led Henry out of the room. The rest of the team followed quietly, leaving JJ and Emily alone in the room. JJ took a seat next to her best friend, waiting until the door was completely shut.

"You got attacked this morning, Em. What happened?" JJ asked.

Before the word 'attacked', Emily's mind had been drawing a blank. But now, she was slowly starting to come to her senses.

"Wait, I remember!" Emily cried, cringing at the surging pain that was brought to her temples momentarily after her response.

"Okay. What happened?"

"I-I woke up in a… In a basement. I guess it was this morning, but I can't be sure. Then this man-"

"A man?"

"Yeah."

"Did you know him?" JJ prodded, trying to draw answers from Emily.

"N-no," Emily remembered. JJ nodded, allowing Emily to continue.

"A-and he hurt me… A lot. JJ…" Emily trailed. JJ patted her arm comfortingly.

"It's okay. That's all I need to know."

"Wait," Emily said before JJ left the room.

"What?"

"Can you get Jack in here?" Emily asked sheepishly. JJ smiled genuinely.  
>"Absolutely."<p>

Moments later, Jack burst into the room, tripped over a chair leg, then successfully made it to Emily's side.

"Emily," he smiled. She took his hand.

"Hi Jack."

"Emmy… I was so worried," he said quietly. Emily reached up as best she could and rubbed his tear-stained cheek.

"I know. It's okay, sweetheart."

"Emily, I have a question. You don't even have to answer it. Just... Don't slap me, please," he pleaded jokingly. She raised an eyebrow.

"After that, I'm not sure I even want to _hear _the question," she smirked.

"Are you… A-are you… pregnant?"

After a few moments of stunned, awkward silence, Jack spoke up.

"Crap… Emily, don't answer that. I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have even asked," he muttered, turning to leave.

"Yes, I am, Jack," she admitted, biting her lip. He immediately turned around, a smile on his face.

"What? Really? That's so… Wow! Congratulations," he smiled. She placed a hand on her still-flat stomach.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

"How long have you known?" Jack asked.

"I found out a couple weeks ago," she said truthfully.

"Oh. Wow," he breathed.

"Yep. C-can you get your dad in here please?" she asked nervously.

"Of course. I'll be back," he promised, quietly closing the door. Seconds later, Hotch appeared in the doorway.

"Hotch," Emily sadly smiled.

"Emily, are you alright?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

"I think so, but it'll take a while for me to remember exactly what happened," she said.

"It's alright. We're not expecting you to bounce back right away, but just keep in mind that we will find who did this," he said firmly.

"Thank you," she whispered. She fidgeted with the corners of her gown. Hotch bravely took her hand and enveloped it with both of his. She looked up, surprised, but didn't pull away. His eyes were sparkling and his lips curved into a handsome smile.

As much as she was enjoying the moment, she took a deep breath.

"Aaron, I'm pregnant," she forced out. He looked up at her.

"I know."

"I-" Hotch cut her off.

"Emily, it's okay. You don't have to explain," he promised.

"Yeah, I know, but I'm going to have to when I'm in labor and they're yelling out 'Who's the father? Who's the father?'" she chuckled. He smiled, amused.

"Only if you want to," he said.

Then on she went, describing what had happened, yet leaving out the more… _Intimate _parts.

"Wow," Hotch breathed at the end.

_Was she ever going to find a way to recover?_

**Author's Note: Yeah, that's right: I'm leaving you until another chapter. Hope you guys are enjoying this so far!**


	7. What Happened?

**Author's Note: Hey guys! So, um, I noticed A LOT of you guys wanted Hotch to be the father, but at first I wasn't sure if I wanted to change my plot. But then… Never mind. Just read to find out! Oh, and I'm sorry for the late update. I hope you're not too mad at me!**

"Hotch, it's yours," she smiled. He felt his stomach immediately come back up his throat. How was this possible?

"_Hotch, I'm having another nightmare," Emily whimpered over the phone._

"_Are you alright? Do you need me to come over?" he asked softly, looking down at Beth's sleeping figure next to him._

"_Oh, could you?" she asked._

"_Of course. I'll be there in fifteen," he promised before hanging up. She snapped her phone shut, pulled the covers in close around her, and waited for Hotch to arrive. Yes, it might've been odd for a woman to ask her male boss to come over to comfort her after a nightmare, but this had become a customary thing._

"_Emily?" Hotch called from the hallway of her apartment building. She leapt out of bed and opened the door, clad only in a tank top and pajama shorts._

"_Emily, are you alright?" Hotch questioned, concerned. _

"_Yeah, I think I'm alright," she said. Hotch massaged her shoulders, and she moaned gently._

"_Am I hurting you?" he asked._

"_No, you're fine. But could you grab my blanket from my room please? I'm cold," she pouted. He smiled and willingly obliged.  
>After finding her smaller blanket, he came back out to the living room, only to find her curled up, fast asleep.<em>

_The dim light of the moon cast a positively beautiful glow over her skin. He came up to her, draped the blanket over her prone body, and gently kissed her cheek, thinking she was asleep. He pulled away once she stirred._

"_E-Emily… I-I'm so sorry," he mumbled._

"_Why'd you leave?" she asked innocently, tugging his arm, dragging him down towards her. He brushed her hair back gently with his fingers._

"_You are beautiful," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her lips._

_Moments later, the two erupted into fits of ragged breaths. Hotch started at her shorts, but stopped once she gasped slightly._

"_Are you sure?" he asked._

"_Definitely," she smiled._

_What happened next was a blur of ecstasy and electric energy._

He remembered. He had broken up with Beth the next day.

Hotch was snapped back to reality once Emily placed her hand on his.

"Did you hear me, Aaron? It's yours," she mumbled happily.

"Yeah… I-Wow…Emily…" he uttered, speechless.

"We have a baby," she smiled.

"Y-yeah… We do," he sighed in amazement. There was something growing inside of Emily… Something that was _his _too.

"Hotch, I want to tell Jack that it's yours," she blurted out. Hotch looked up at her in surprise.

"Wh-are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Can you get him in here please?" she asked.

"Alright. I'll be back, okay?" he promised. Emily smiled as the father of her baby walked out of the room.

"Emily, you wanted to see me?" Jack prompted, sitting back down next to her.

"Jack, my baby… It's your dad's," she forced out. His eyes widened. At first, Emily genuinely thought he was going to slap her across the face. A few moments later, his face broke into a huge grin.

"Emily… That's amazing!" he cried, squeezing her hand gently.

"I-I know," she smiled. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the woman who would hopefully soon become his stepmother.

"Wow. I'm gonna have a little brother or sister," he murmured, staring at her stomach.

"Yeah, yeah you are," she smiled at his enthusiasm.

"Emily… I'm so happy for you. And Dad," he added.

"Thank you, Jack. You're gonna make an amazing older brother," she grinned.

"Thanks, Em. Do you want my dad back in here?" he asked.

"Sure," she smiled. Jack slipped out and gestured for his father to come back in the room.

"How did it go?" Hotch asked nervously.

"Well, judging by the fact that he was grinning like a fool, I'm assuming well," she quipped. Hotch smiled and placed a hand on her still-smooth stomach.

"You're sure it's mine?" he asked cautiously, not wanting to offend the mother of his child.

"Yeah, Aaron, I'm sure. I didn't sleep with anyone else before or after," she blushed. He smiled.

"Good. I can't wait to be a dad again," he said excitedly, staring at his beautiful partner.

"This baby's gonna have a messed up family," she joked. Hotch cracked a laugh.

"Yeah, but he or she is also going to have a wonderful mother who will love them very much," he mumbled, leaning into her and pressing a kiss to her cool lips.

Unbeknownst to the two, the team was watching from the opposite side of the glass. JJ and Penelope squealed in excitement.

"I'm assuming Hotch is the baby-daddy?" Penelope grinned.

"Yup," Jack replied, popping his 'p'. The team chuckled.

"Wow. Emily's gonna have a hell of a time with a child," JJ joked.

"You're tellin' me," Morgan chuckled. Rossi smiled at Emily. She had always been like a daughter to him. He looked out for her, and he knew she appreciated it, no matter how stubborn or independent she seemed.

"Looks like she's finally gonna be a mother," Reid said, smiling. The whole team was happy for Emily, even though they fully well knew that she would be out of the job for a while.

Hotch stepped out of the room, smiling.

"The baby's mine," he told them. The team nodded with grins on their faces.

"We know, and we're all so happy for you," Rossi said sincerely. Hotch flashed a grin.

"Thank you, all. And since Emily's been doing so well, they're letting her out of the hospital in five days instead of a week," he informed them. The team sighed with relief.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna head home now that I know Emily's okay," Reid said, bidding them good night. The team waved.

"I think I'm gonna head home too," Morgan agreed, waving at Emily through the glass and blowing a kiss at her. He chuckled at Hotch.

"You need a ride, Baby Girl?" Morgan asked Penelope.

"Sure thing, Shug," she grinned. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and waved.

"Good night everyone. I'll see you all tomorrow," Rossi said, following Morgan and Penelope.

Only Hotch and JJ remained.

"Congratulations, Hotch. I'm so happy for Emily," she smiled. Hotch grinned back thankfully.

Suddenly, JJ lowered her voice.

"But you do anything, _anything_," JJ paused, "you better watch out."

Hotch backed away slowly and grinned discreetly as JJ took Henry's hand and walked out of the hospital.

This was going to be one hell of a journey.

**Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed it! My updates will be faster, I promise!**


	8. I Love You

**Author's Note: HELLOOOO! Hope you enjoy the next installment of "Shark In The Water!"**

"Hey Emily! How are you?" Jack asked over the phone. He was leaning against a parking sign in the parking lot of his school.

"Hey, Jack. I'm great! How was school today?" she inquired.

"It was okay. I had a pop quiz though," he grumbled.

"Oh, I'm sure you did fine," she grinned.

"Thanks. Dad's gonna visit you later, okay? I'll see you soon," he said.

"Okay. Bye." Emily put down her cell phone back on the table next to her. She leaned her head back onto the white pillow and sighed. Two more days in this hellhole. Then, Hotch could finally pick her up.

"Hey Emily!" Penelope greeted brightly as she swung into the room.

"Oh, hey, Pen. What are you doing here?" Emily asked, confused.

"You really think I'm not gonna visit?" Penelope scoffed. Emily smiled.

"Thanks for coming, PG," she thanked.

"No problemo! I'll be here whenever you need me," Penelope promised. She took Emily's hand and gently kissed it.

"Thanks, Penelope. I mean it," Emily grinned.

"I'm glad. How are you? Are the doctors being nice?" Penelope grinned slyly.

"They're fine. I'm doing pretty okay, actually."

"Any morning sickness?" Penelope asked excitedly.

"Penny, I've only been pregnant for a few weeks," Emily chuckled.

"Oh. Right. Eep! A mini-Prentiss is growing in there!" Penelope squealed.

"I know. It's crazy, huh?"

"Definitely. I'm so happy for you, Em."

"Thanks, Pen. Are you thinking of having any mini-computer hackers of your own?" Emily grinned.

"Nah, I think I'm fine. I'd like to spare myself the crying and poopy diapers," Penelope chuckled.

Emily grinned at the thought of Penelope getting up at one a.m. to change a diaper.

"Ooh, I brought these for you," Penelope piped up, pulling something out of a plastic bag. She handed Emily a few Milky Way bars.

"Oh my gosh, Pen, thank you," Emily grinned.

"No problem. I stopped at the gas station before I came over here. Enjoy them," Penelope laughed.

"Thanks so much," Emily giggled. She placed the bars next to her cell phone.

"No cases lately?" Emily asked.

"No, Strauss is letting us take some time off because of what happened."

"Wh-why? Just because of me, you guys lose working hours?" Emily asked, angry.

"No, Em. We get paid for 'special leave'. It's okay. And so what? You're family," Penelope said, squeezing her hand then letting go.

"Excuse me, Miss Garcia, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Miss Prentiss needs her medication," a nurse said apologetically. Penelope smiled.

"Of course. I'll see you soon, Emily," Penelope waved.

"See ya later, PG."

And with that, Penelope walked out of the building.

"This medication might make you a little woozy, so don't worry if you fall asleep," the male nurse smiled. Emily took a deep breath and nodded.

"Look that way, please."

Emily turned her head away from the needle as it sunk into her skin.

"Here's the TV remote if you need it," the nurse said, handing it to her. Emily smiled in thanks and flipped through the channels. Finally, she settled on a rerun of _Touch_.

Suddenly, her eyes began to droop, and she drifted off to sleep.

A few hours later, Hotch knocked quietly on the door and entered to see Emily fast asleep.

"Hey, Emily," he said gently. He took a seat next to her and took her hand, kissing it.

"I know you're asleep, but you're still beautiful," Hotch murmured, "and I can't wait to raise this child with you. Maybe, soon, we could get married, and have a proper family. I… I love you, Emily."

She stirred.

"Aaron?" she asked with a sleepy smile on her face.

"Hey there, sleepy head. How are you?"

"I love you too, Aaron."

"Wait, what?"

"I heard you talking, and I love you too. And yes, I do want to have a family with you, Aaron. I really do."

"I-I'm so glad you agree," he sighed in relief.

"Of course I do. Thanks for coming," she said, bending upwards and pressing a kiss to her lips.

"Of course, Emily. I'm spending the next few nights here too. I'm sure Garcia told you about our leave?"

"Yeah. I'm glad Strauss agreed. Is Jack at home?"

"Yeah, Jessica's watching him for the next few days while I'm here. Don't worry, he'll come visit you," Hotch smiled.

"Good. God, I'm so tired," Emily moaned.

"I know. Get some sleep," Hotch said, brushing her hair away from her eyes.

"Okay. Good night," she said, turning over.

"Good night."

Hotch sank back in his chair, falling asleep just after Emily began to snore.


	9. I Won't Forget About You

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Enjoy Chapter 9!**

"I'm here to check out Emily Prentiss," Hotch said to the receptionist at the hospital. He had left two nights ago to spend some time with Jack, but he was back to pick her up.

"Of course sir. We'll bring her out in a minute."

Hotch sat down on a nearby chair and waited for Emily to come out.

"Aaron," she called, being pushed in a wheelchair.

"Emily," he sighed with relief. He smiled thankfully at the nurse and wheeled Emily out of the hospital.

"Finally! Fresh air," Emily sighed, taking a deep breath.

"Can you stand?" Hotch asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I can get up," she said, pushing herself up from the wheelchair.

Hotch helped her into the car and shut to door for her before wheeling the wheelchair back into the hospital.

"Do you want me to take you to your place, or mine?"

"Can I just pick some stuff up from my place real quick?" she asked.

"Of course," Hotch said, making an immediate right.

"Thanks," she smiled, unlocking her door and stepping inside.

"Meow," Sergio purred, leaping up into Emily's arms.

"Hey, Serge," Emily grinned, kissing the top of his head. Hotch grinned behind her.

"Need help packing Sergio's stuff?"

"Oh, Aaron, I couldn't ask you to let me take Serge with me," she scoffed.

"What are you talking about? He's more than welcome in my house," he chuckled. Emily brushed her hair away and smiled.

"Thanks, Aaron," she grinned before shoving clothing into her go-bag.

Fifteen minutes later, she came out of her room with Sergio in one arm.

"Need help?" he asked.

"I'm fine, thanks," she smiled. He exited after her and locked the door behind them.

-At Hotchner Residence-

Hotch knocked gently on the door, with Emily's go-bag in his hand. Emily was holding Sergio, who was purring quietly.

Jack answered the door.

"Hey Jack," Emily smiled weakly. Jack's face brightened as he stepped past his father to give Emily a gentle hug.

"Hey, Emily. How are you feeling?" he asked, closing the door. Emily grunted as she bent over to put Sergio down on the ground.

"I'm okay, I guess. I'm still a little sore and woozy from those shots they gave me, but I'm okay. Thanks for asking," she smiled, running her hand down the back of his head. He grinned back up at her.

"Hey, Emily!" Jessica greeted brightly, coming around the kitchen island to give Emily a hug.

"Hi, Jessica," Emily replied warmly. Jessica smiled, her face full of concern.

"How're you feeling?" she wondered.

"I'm fine. A little sore, but fine," Emily smiled.

"Good," Jessica smiled, and to Hotch, "Aaron, I'm gonna head back home. See you guys later!" She waved, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"Where do I sleep?" Emily asked.

"I'm praying to God that was a rhetorical question," Hotch closed his eyes and pressed his hands together like he was praying. Emily cracked a grin.

"Sure, why not. I'm going to go get ready," Emily said, pressing a kiss to Hotch's lips. She smiled at Jack.

Hotch stood there, stunned as Emily walked away.

"Come on, Dad. It's not like she's never done more than that before," Jack winked, nudging his father in the ribs with his elbow. Hotch chuckled.

"I know. But still, it gets me every time," he smiled.

-Later that night-

Emily rested her head on the arm of the couch, staring at the flashing screen.

"Emily?" Hotch asked sleepily from the hallway.

"Yeah?" she called back.

"Come to bed," he said, coming closer, stroking her hair softly.

"I'm not tired yet," she whined. He kissed her forehead.

"Alright. Just come in when you're ready," he smiled, heading back to his room. Emily cuddled herself into a soft blanket and continued to watch TV.

A few hours later, she found herself far too sleepy to walk, so she slept on the couch.

_Crash! _

"Who's there?" she yelped, hearing a noise from the kitchen.

"Emmy, calm down! It's just me!" Jack immediately shouted, holding up his hands. Emily let out a sigh of relief.

"God, Jack. You scared me," she began to chuckle.

"Sorry, Emmy. I dropped a cup," he said sheepishly. She noticed that his eyes were rimmed with red.

"Baby, what's wrong?" she asked. He dragged himself over to her and fell over in her lap, sobbing.

"Oh, Jack, what's going on?" she asked softly.

"I'm scared," he said, curling up in her arms. She squeezed him gently and brushed his hair with her fingers.

"Why, baby?"

"I'm scared that you won't pay attention to me when the baby's here," he cried. He felt so embarrassed; he was acting like such a child.

"Jack…"

"I know, you don't have to say it. I'm acting like a child. I get it. Good night," he sobbed, getting up. Emily tugged at his sleeve and pulled him back down next to her.

"Jack, you're not acting like a child. Your reaction is perfectly normal," she promised. He stared at her.

"It is?"

"Yep. Even your dad was jealous when your Uncle Sean was going to be born. But he got through it, right?" she said.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Listen; once the baby is born, I'll set aside some time for just the two of us," she promised.

"Really?"

"Yeah. You like the sound of that?"

"Yeah… I'd like that," he smiled. She enveloped him in a hug and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"Now, what were you doing here?"

"I was just… uh… getting some water," he lied.

"Then why is the liter bottle of Root Beer sitting on the counter?"

"Er…"

"It's okay, Jack. You can have some," she grinned, "Just this once though. And don't tell your dad," she warned. He smiled.

"Thanks, Emily."

**Author's Note: That's the end of Chapter 9! I'm really growing on this story…**


	10. Beth

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry 'bout all the late updates… Hope you enjoy!**

"Hey, buddy. How was school today?" Emily smiled as Jack opened up the car door. He shot her a confused look as he climbed in, setting his backpack at his feet and pulling his seatbelt over his chest.

"What are you doing driving?" he asked.

"Oh, I got bored, so I decided to pick you up," she replied simply. He raised an eyebrow.

"Does Dad know you're out of the house?"

"Uh, yeah…"

"Emily," he said in a warning tone.

"Okay no, he doesn't, but just don't tell him," she pleaded. Jack began to chuckle.

"What am I gonna say to Dad when he asks how I got home?" he asked matter-of-factly.

"Just… Just tell him you walked home," she grinned. He smiled.

"Fine, but you owe me," he teased. She smiled, making a left turn at the intersection.

-At the gym-

"Hey, Aaron, how's it going?" a female voice from behind him called. He set down the weights he was lifting and turned.

"Hello, Beth," he said awkwardly. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, grinning evilly.

"So, I know we're done, but do you wanna be… You know… Friends with benefits?"

"Beth, I-"

"Oh come on, Aaron. Lighten up! I know you want to," she growled, moving in closer.

"Beth! Stop this, now," he said fiercely, pushing her away.

"Well gee. Playing hard to get, huh?" she smirked. He ignored her comment.

"Beth, stop. I told you we're done, and we're done for a reason!"

"Oh really? Yeah, okay, so… What's that reason?" she challenged.

"Emily's pregnant!" he cried angrily.

"What? You got that little slut pregnant?" she hissed.

"Don't you dare call her a slut!" he shouted.

"I'll call her whatever the hell I want to!"

"No! Just stop it, Beth! That's the mother of my child."

"Fine. Go spend your time with that little bitch instead of me."

"SHUT UP!" he roared, turning heads in the gym, "don't you ever call her a bitch again, you hear? In fact, don't even bother to talk to me anymore," he spat, turning on his heel and walking away.

-Hotchner Residence-

"Hey, sweetie, how was your day?" she asked, seeing him for the first time since nine o'clock this morning, when he'd gone to run errands.

"It was great," he lied.

"Good," she smiled, placing a kiss on his forehead. Hotch stared after his innocent wife as she walked away. He couldn't tell her what happened today, no way. She'd kill him.

"Hey Dad," Jack said brightly, swinging into the kitchen.

"Hey buddy. How was your day?"

"It was great. Yours?"

"It was pretty good too."

"Cool. Hey, Emily, what's for dinner?" Jack called.

"Sweetie, we have no food in this house," Emily called back.

"Do you guys just want me to order some pizza?"

"Oh I'm totally in the mood for pizza right now," Jack said hungrily, bounding towards his room, passing Emily on her way to the kitchen.

"That sounds amazing right now," Emily smiled, placing her hand on her stomach.

"There's no baby bump yet, my love," he grinned. She pouted.

"I know. I want one though," she whined. He shook his head, chuckling as he picked up the phone and dialed Pizza Hut.

-Ten minutes later-

"Thanks so much. Have a good night now," Hotch thanked the pizza delivery man and shut the door.

"Pizza's here," he called. Jack sped out of his room and appeared in the kitchen immediately, plate in hands. Emily came soon after, then pulled a plate out of the cabinet.

"That smells so good," Emily's mouth watered.

"Here you go guys," Hotch slipped two slices of steaming pizza onto each plate.

"Thanks Dad," Jack said happily.

"Thank you, dear," Emily grinned. Hotch grabbed two slices for himself and went to join his family at the table.

-A few hours later-

"Night Em, night Dad," Jack announced, pressing a kiss to Emily's forehead and giving his father a hug. He'd always done that when Haley was around, and he felt like Emily deserved to be treated the same way.

"Good night, babe," Emily smiled.

"Good night, Jack," Hotch replied as Jack headed to his room.

"You ready to head to bed?" Hotch asked, standing up and holding his hand out. Emily smiled and slipped her hand into his.

"Yeah. Let's go," she grinned as he pulled her up.

-Bedtime-

"I'm so sleepy," Emily moaned, curling up under the blanket.

"Then sleep," Hotch chuckled. Emily cuddled next to him.

"You're so warm," she giggled. He smiled and draped on arm over her waist, with the other massaging her neck.

"Are you getting sleepier?"

"No."

"Oh, come on. You need your rest," he persuaded.

"Fine. But can you stay up until I fall asleep?" she asked quietly.

"I'll do anything you want," he promised genuinely.

"Good night, Aaron," she whispered, giving him a small kiss.

"Good night. Je t'aime," he mumbled.

Butterflies were at it again in Emily's stomach the minute those French words rolled off his tongue.

"Je t'aime," she smiled back. With that, she rested her head into her pillow and forced herself to go to sleep.

**Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed Chapter 10! Keep a lookout for the next chapter :) Once again, I APOLOGIZE for the late updates!**


	11. Month One

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I've decided that the chapters from here on out are going to be about each month of Em's pregnancy. Oh and here's a random Jack fact that I made up: He's very musical and has an AMAZING voice. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

**Month One:**

"Shit," Emily muttered, shooting out of bed like a rocket. She flung the bathroom door open and hunched over the toilet, spilling out the contents of her dinner.

"Shit, shit, shit," she repeated before another wave of nausea hit her. Her stomach exploded in pain and she threw up again.

"Emily, are you alright?" Hotch asked, bewildered. She grimaced and sank down next to the toilet.

"No," she grumbled.

"What happened?"

"It's just morning sickness, I guess. This sucks," she muttered. Hotch gave her a sympathetic look.

"I know _mi amore_. I know," he tried to comfort her. She stood up shakily and rinsed her mouth out with the mouthwash from under the sink.

Emily pouted as she slammed her body back into bed, causing a loud, unsettling creaky noise.

"Babe, are you sure you're alright?" Hotch questioned with a concerned look on his face.

"I think so," she muttered.

"Emily, we go back from our leave today but I would gladly stay home to take care of you," he said firmly.

"No, Aaron. You are fully aware of the fact that Strauss is going to kick your ass if you don't get back today, right?"

"Fine. I'll go to work, but I'm making Jack stay home from school," he frowned.

"Aaron, he's a thirteen year old boy, for Christ's sake! He needs to be at school," she argued.

"Emily, I know you want the best for Jack, but he needs to, you know. Learn early. I mean, look. Pretty soon, he'll have a wife of his own, and she's going to go through the exact same thing you're going through. It'll be good for the both of you," he promised.

Emily let out a sigh, but nodded her head shortly after.

"Thank you," he said, kissing her hair. She nodded and got up to take a shower.

Hotch left the room, heading towards Jack's room.

"Hey buddy. You awake?" he knocked softly.

"Yeah, come in," Jack called.

"Hey. You're not going to school today, okay? Emily's not feeling that great so I need you to stay home and take care of her, got it?"

"Of course, Dad, what's wrong?"

"It's just morning sickness. She'll be okay, but I want someone to be here for her, okay?"

"Yeah, definitely. Where is she?"

"She's taking a shower right now, but just hang out for now. I'll see you later," Hotch said, leaving.

"Bye Dad!" Jack called from his room as Hotch locked the door.

Jack lay back in his bed, his hands behind his neck. He stared at his ceiling, which was adorned with photos of The Rolling Stones, ACDC, Bob Marley, Wiz Khalifa, and a number of different artists. He then looked to the corner of his room, spotting his black Fender acoustic guitar. He frowned thoughtfully, and then looked at his computer. He had an idea, but it was going to take some work.

He leapt out of bed, grabbed his guitar, and pulled up the Internet on his computer. He quickly typed in 'Ultimate Guitar' in Google and clicked on the site.

"Just-The-Way-You-Are," he spoke with every word he typed. Scrolling down the page, he found a five-star rated chord version of the song he was looking for and clicked on it.

Ten minutes later, he was going through the song perfectly, only screwing up a couple strings.

"Perfect," he grinned. He sent the chord progression to the printer and set up his guitar in the living room, waiting for Emily to come out.

Meanwhile, Emily shut off the water in the shower, her stomach feeling only slightly better. She quickly changed into a tank top and sweat pants, heading out into the living room.

"_Oh, her eyes, her eyes, make the stars look like they're not shining," _Jack sang softly. Emily's eyes widened as Jack's voice floated into her ears.

"Jack," she sighed.

_Her hair, her hair_

_Falls perfectly without her trying_

_She's so beautiful_

_And I tell her everyday_

_Yeah, I know_

_When I compliment her_

_She won't believe me_

_And it's so_

_It's so_

_Sad to think that she don't see what I see_

_But every time she asks me_

'_Do I look okay?'_

_I say_

Emily's heart thumped as Jack continued to serenade her.

_When I see your face_

_There's not a thing that I would change_

'_Cuz girl you're amazing_

_Just the way you are_

Jack finished flawlessly with one last strum of his guitar. Emily clapped as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Oh my God, Jack, that was beautiful," she smiled broadly. He grinned.

"Thanks," he blushed, pulling her into a hug. "Is your stomach feeling any better?"

"Yep, it is. Thanks," she smiled. He nodded.

"Ooh, we have to head to the grocery store," Emily remembered.

"Emmy, you're not supposed to be driving," Jack warned.

"Oh please, sweetie. I'm fine," she persuaded. He challenged her with a look.

"Okay fine, my stomach hurts like hell. But we need food!" she cried.

"I'll call a taxi," he grinned.

"Thank you, 'O Resourceful One'," she chuckled. He rolled his eyes with a smile on his face and dialed the taxi service.

"Come on, Emily," Jack called from the door, shoving his shoes onto his feet.

"Alright, I'm coming sweetie," she called back, hurrying towards him with her purse in hand.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yep. Let's go. You got the key?"

"Yeah," he smiled, locking the door after her.

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed Chapter 11!**


	12. Month Two

**Month 2:**

"Yay! A little bump," Emily giggled, running her fingers over her stomach. Hotch shook his head with a grin.

"You are delirious," he chuckled, bending over the couch to press a kiss to Emily's lips. She giggled against his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Emily," he sighed, pulling away from the kiss.

"What? What's wrong?" she asked quickly.

"Nothing's wrong, Emily, but I have to ask you a question. Stand up and close your eyes," he grinned. She raised an eyebrow but obliged. His stomach churned, yet he came around the couch quietly and knelt in front of her, pulling out a small box. He opened it quickly to reveal a beautiful ring.

"Okay. Open your eyes," he smiled. Her eyes fluttered open, and she gasped.

"Aaron?"

"Emily, you are the mother of my child. I don't give a damn what protocol says, or even what Strauss says. All I know is that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. This is what I've wanted for a long time, and I'm sorry if I'm coming on too strong. I know it's just after your attack and everything, but please… Will you marry me?" he asked. Tears immediately began to flow out of her eyes as she nodded shakily.

"Y-yes, of course," she smiled, tackling him with a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and smiled. They were going to be married.

"I love you, Emily."

"I-I love you too, Aaron."

He slipped the ring onto her finger, tearing up at how beautiful she was.

"Aaron, this is beautiful. Thank you so much," she smiled.

"Do you want a big wedding?" he asked.

"Not really. Honestly, I just want to have the priest, whoever you want to invite, and the team, of course," she smiled.

"Of course, _mi amore_. Anything," he grinned, placing another kiss to her lips.

"I can't wait to tell Jack," she giggled excitedly. Hotch checked the clock.

"It's only eleven thirty. His lunch starts at twelve fifteen. Maybe we could take him to lunch? How's that sound?"

"I'd like that," she smiled again.

"Great. Can you be ready in twenty minutes? We have to sign him out at the front desk," Hotch said.

"Of course. Gimme a minute," she replied, smiling.

-At Jack's school-

"Good morning, Mr. Hotchner. Are you here to sign out Jack?" Mrs. Harrison, the school receptionist, smiled broadly.

"Yes I am," Hotch smiled back.

"Alright. Well, he's in Mr. Johnson's class right now, which is just down the hall and to the left. It's the first one on the right side of the wall."

"Thank you, Mrs. Harrison."

"Anytime, dear."

Emily stood awkwardly at the front desk, waiting for Hotch to come back.

"Are you Aaron's wife?" Mrs. Harrison asked sweetly.

"Yeah. He just proposed today. We're taking Jack out to break the news to him," Emily smiled.

"Ooh, that's so exciting!" Mrs. Harrison exclaimed. The two conversed for a little, until Hotch and Jack came out.

"Ready to go, Emily?" Hotch prompted.

"Yep! Goodbye, Mrs. Harrison," Emily smiled.

"Bye dear," Mrs. Harrison waved. The three exited the building and climbed into the car.

"Why are you guys taking me out to lunch? Is something wrong?" he asked immediately.

"No, not at all, sweetie. You'll find out when we get there," Emily grinned slyly, her hands on her slightly raised stomach.

"Okay," Jack said nervously. Hotch pulled up smoothly into the parking lot of In 'n Out and unlocked the car doors. Jack's stomach growled loudly. Emily smiled at him, and he blushed.

"Sorry," he grinned sheepishly, "I forgot to eat breakfast this morning."

"It's alright, sweetie. You'll get your fill here," Emily chuckled, walking next to him. Hotch held the door open for the both of them and walked in after them.

The mouthwatering smell of juicy burgers wafted towards Emily's nose. Her excellent sense of smell had only been improved due to pregnancy, and she immediately began to hyperventilate, trying to smell as much of the scent as possible. Jack raised an eyebrow, and Emily began to chuckle.

"Sorry. My nose," she giggled. He grinned and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. She smiled and returned the gesture.

"Are you going to order the usual?" Hotch asked Jack.

"Yep. Can I get a shake too?" Jack pleaded hopefully.

"Of course. Why don't you just tell me what you want, Emily, and you and Jack can go get a table," Hotch suggested.

"Okay. I'll take a hamburger with no onions and no tomatoes. And a chocolate shake, please," she smiled, kissing his nose.

"That's what I get all the time," Jack grinned. Emily ruffled his hair.

"Looks like we have the same taste in burgers," Emily winked at Hotch. Hotch chuckled.

"Alright. Go grab a table," he grinned. He watched as Emily and Jack searched for a table in the busy restaurant.

"So, what's this all about?" Jack wondered, sliding into the booth, taking the seat across from Emily. He nervously fidgeted with his fingers, tapping his foot on the metal bar.

"You'll find out soon enough," she said simply, hiding her hands. She didn't want him to see the ring before he had to.

Jack took a deep breath and leaned forward, his forearms on his thighs.

"Am I in trouble?" he offered.

"I already told you you're not," she grinned.

"Fine! I give up! What's going on?" he asked, throwing his hands up in surrender. Hotch came back just in time before Jack exploded.

"Okay, now that the food's here, you want to tell him?" Hotch grinned slightly.

"Sure," Emily smiled back. She pressed a kiss to Hotch's lips, and she felt him nod against her, almost as if he was saying '_It'll be alright_'.

"Jack, your father and I are getting married," Emily smiled. A French fry hung from the corner of Jack's mouth, his eyes bulging out of their sockets. He leapt in his seat.

"Are you serious?" he exclaimed.

"Yep, we're serious," Hotch smiled. Jack ran his hands through his hair.

"Oh my God," he laughed gleefully.

"How do you feel about that?" Emily asked, smiling. Jack looked at Emily, then to Hotch.

"I love you guys," he grinned.

**Author's Note: Emily gets her In 'n Out burgers the way I do :) Hope you enjoyed!**


	13. Month Three

**Author's Note: Hey guys! FF wasn't working, so I'm sorry if I didn't get to some of your reviews or anything. There's a little bit of offensive stuff at the end, IT'S NOT RACIST BY ANY MEANS, it's just a little… Well, READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.**

**Month 3:**

"Ooh, yay! The bump is a teeny bit bigger," Emily clapped. Hotch raised his eyebrow.

"I know. Pretty soon, you'll be able to see it," he grinned. She smiled.

"I know. I'm so excited," she giggled. She rubbed her hand over her stomach, imagining what was growing inside of her.

"I wonder if it's a girl or a boy," she pondered out loud. He ran his hands through her hair.

"You don't get to find out for a little over a month," he reminded her.

"I know," she pouted, "But let's think of names," she smiled.

"Okay. Let's think," he said, sitting next to her. She rested her head on his shoulder as she began to think.

"How about… Christian Nicholas for a boy?" Emily offered.

"Christian Nicholas Hotchner…" Hotch repeated. "I like it," he smiled.

"Really? Do you have any ideas for a girl?" she asked.

"I don't know," he shrugged, going through names.

"What about… Macy Giselle?" she suggested.

"Macy Giselle Hotchner…" Hotch mumbled to himself. Having a baby girl would make his world complete. Jack needed someone to look after. Hotch knew he was lonely by himself, and a baby sister would be perfect for him.

"What do you think?" Emily asked, grinning.

"It's beautiful," Hotch smiled genuinely.

"I'm so excited," she smiled, snuggling into him.

"So am I," he murmured into her hair, kissing it gently. She sighed and closed her eyes, drifting to sleep.

Moments later, Jack could be heard unlocking the door.

"Hey Dad! Hey Emily! I'm home!" Jack called from the front door as he locked it behind him. Hotch gently transitioned Emily's head onto a pillow and slipped quietly out of the room.

"Hey Jack. How was your day?" Hotch asked.

"It was great," Jack grinned.

"Good. We've come up with names for the baby," Hotch lead on, smiling. Jack looked up with rapturous excitement on his face.

"Are you serious? What are they?" he asked anxiously.

"If it's a little girl, we're going to name her Macy Giselle, and if it's a boy, we're going to name her Christian Nicholas," Hotch explained.

"Those are neat names," Jack grinned.

"I know. Emily did a good job with the names, huh?"

"Yeah, she did. I'm gonna go do my homework. Call me when dinner's ready," Jack said, dragging his backpack towards his room.

"Got it!" Hotch called back. He sat down at the couch and flipped through the channels, finally settling on a soccer game.

Meanwhile, Emily rubbed her eyes sleepily to find that Hotch wasn't next to her. She realized Jack must've gotten home and got up, stretching her arms.

"Hey sweetie. How was your day?" Emily asked, poking her head into Jack's room.

"It was fine. Emmy, can I talk to you?" he asked in a serious tone. She straightened her face.

"Sure, what's up?" she asked, sitting on his bed and patting his knee.

"I just wanted to know if it was okay with you if I called you… Mom," Jack finished quietly.

"Oh, sweetie-" Jack cut Emily off.

"No, Emily, it's not because I don't want you to feel uncomfortable. I want to call you 'Mom' because you've been a mother figure to me ever since my real mom died. And, I wanted to thank you for that," he said maturely.

"Jack…" she trailed, "Are you sure? You don't have to do anything you don't want to," she promised, a tear forming in her lower eyelid.

"I promise, Mom," he smiled, wrapping his arms around her neck. Tears began to fall from her face as she embraced Jack.

"I love you, Jack," she whispered.

"Love you too, Mom."

"Do you need help with homework?" Emily asked awkwardly.

"Only if you're good at Algebra," Jack winced. Emily clapped.

"Yay! Algebra! What can I help you with?" she asked, eager to delve into square roots and 'foiling'.

Jack rolled his chair over to his desk and pointed out the problems he needed help with. Over the next thirty or so minutes, Emily spent time working out each problem with Jack and pointing out where he was messing up.

"Thanks, Mom," he smiled.

"No problem. Call me if you need anything else, alright?" she said, closing the door behind her.

_Ring, ring! _He fumbled for his cell and pressed the 'call' button.

"Hello?"

"Hey bro. Sup?" Jack's friend Evan greeted.

"Hey man. Just doing some homework," Jack groaned.

"That sucks, man. Hey listen, there's a party going on tonight at Julies. Blow your homework off. It's not due 'til Monday. Wanna be my plus-one?" Evan joked.

"Sure, lemme just ask my dad real quick," Jack replied, covering the speaker of his phone with his hand.

"Dad, can I go to a party tonight?" he yelled.

"Sure, just be back by eleven," Hotch yelled back.

"I can go, but I gotta be home by eleven," Jack said.

"Cool, man. Hey, my mom and I are gonna pick you up in five minutes."

"How did you get this by your mom?"

"Come on, bro, I told her it was 'study group'."

"Nice. See you in five," Jack signed off, shutting his phone. He quickly rummaged his closet and pulled out a pair of black jeans, his leather jacket his dad had gotten him for his birthday last year, and a pair of sunglasses.

As he walked out of his room, he felt a knot in the pit of his stomach and looked back at his closet. He grimaced and pulled two wrapped condoms from the bottom of his jeans drawer. He had stolen them from his dad's drawer last month.

"Hey man. We're here," read a text from Evan. Jack pulled his shades over his eyes and locked the door behind him.

-At the house-

"Hey guys, ready to get this party started?" Julie grinned. Jack smiled and flipped his hair.

"Let's do it!" he yelled, running into her house. Evan followed, and the two found themselves in the middle of a chaotic dance floor.

"This is great!" Evan yelled over the loud Dubstep pounding through the room. Jack nodded as a girl tugged on his shirt.

"Jack!" she called over the noise. He followed her into the kitchen.

His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped.

"Booze?" he said finally.

"Yeah! You want?" she teased. Jack grimaced.

"Sorry, I don't drink," he said quietly.

"Come on, bro. You have a hot mom and a dad that works in the FBI. What's life without a little drink?" a large, older teenage boy challenged.

"Is that _really _how you're gonna spend your life now? Just because everyone else is drinking, you're going to?" Jack said in disbelief.

"Are you tryna' say something?" the boy said gruffly, setting down a bottle of beer.

"Look. I don't want any trouble. All I'm trying to say is that drinking at this age isn't a good choice," Jack mumbled, ducking his head.

"Why don't you shut up, take your sorry ass home, then go _fuck your mom_? She's probably such a desperate little slut, she'll take you too!" the boy sneered. People began to snicker around the two, and Jack's face heated up. He turned around, walking away, but balled his fists and stopped.

Emily didn't deserve this, even though she wasn't here to hear it.

"What did you say?" Jack grumbled.

"I said, go fuck your mom," the boy repeated. Immediately, Jack threw himself at the older teen and swung his fists wildly. He didn't know it, but his swings resembled Hotch's blows to the Reaper, which had killed him.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT MY MOM!" Jack screamed at the top of his lungs. He began to fiercely beat the boy's face, pummeling his fists into his body. The beefy boy beneath him couldn't take Jack's blows; he began to curl up in the fetal position. Countless people tried to pull Jack off of the boy, but he shrugged out of their grasp and returned to beating the boy.

"Jack? Jack, what the fuck are you doing?" Evan yelled, pushing through the crowd.

"Shut up, Evan!" Jack screamed back, still going at the teen's face.

"Someone call 911!" Evan screamed. A frightened girl whimpered and pulled out her phone.

"Hello? There's a fight going on here, and it's getting out of control!" Jack heard. He didn't care. He continued to batter the boy's body with his fists.

-The police arrive-

"Son! Get off of him, now!" a policeman yelled over the music and the squealing. He pulled Jack off of the boy, who, since then, had gotten up and began to beat Jack. Jack's face was bloody and bruised, his nose bleeding.

Jack strained against the policeman's hold, grunting as he tried to reach the boy again.

"Stop it! Stop it, now," the officer commanded. Jack stopped wriggling and spat at the boy.

"Don't you _ever _talk about my mother like that again," he roared wickedly, allowing the officer to take him away.

**Author's Note: OKAY! End Chapter Thirteen! Real shocker at the end, huh? I can't believe I wrote that… Anyway… I hope you enjoyed!**


	14. Month Four

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I apologize for the late update. And Jack at the end of that last chapter… Wow, I can't believe I even put that in. Yeesh. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Month 4:**

Jack slumped in his seat, blowing a stray piece of hair out of his face. It flapped up, but came back down. He let out an annoyed sigh and rolled his eyes. It had been almost a month since he'd gotten into the fight with that beefy older boy at the party that had turned out to be a junior from the nearby high school.

He tapped his fingers impatiently on his thigh.

The night that Jack was waiting at the county juvenile center, Hotch had driven him home, saying nothing. Jack didn't bother to try and reason with him. He knew it would never work. When they reached the house, Hotch had stormed into his room, physically ripped Jack's computer cables out of the wall, grabbed any remaining electronics, and stalked off, hiding them somewhere deep in his closet. Today was the day he was supposed to get them back, but Hotch was still at the BAU.

A gentle knock got Jack excited, but it turned out to be Emily. It's not like he wasn't thrilled that Emily was coming in; he was just expecting his father to come home and give him his things back.

"What's up?" he asked casually. She smiled sadly and closed the door behind her, sitting on his bed. Her bump was now fully visible, and she had her hands rubbing it.

"Your dad said he's getting home soon," she told him quietly. He nodded.

"Cool," he replied awkwardly, trying to fill the silence. "So, uh, did you need something?"

"You know, I never did know why you got into that fight," Emily said quietly, her head down. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, awaiting his reply.

"Someone said something about you," he mumbled under his breath. She looked up, her eyes clouded over with a film of tears.

"Jack…" she started.

"No, Emily. You're my mom. Nobody talks like that about any of my family in front of me. You have to understand that," he finished pleadingly.

"But Jack, you shouldn't have started a fight," Emily said softly. As much as she appreciated his actions, she was shocked. Sweet, innocent Jack had started a fight because someone said something about her?

"Emily, you don't understand. You didn't hear the things he said about you," he reasoned. The tears that had lined her lower eyelid finally spilled over.

"You're my mom, and nobody's gonna change that," he promised, enveloping Emily in a hug. She sniffled and buried her head into his shoulder. He rubbed her back as she pulled away.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I think so," she chuckled, wiping her tears away. The two heard the door unlock, and Hotch entered.

"Hey Dad. So, uh, do I get my stuff back?" Jack asked hopefully. Hotch chuckled at his son.

"Yeah, in a minute," Hotch promised. After getting everything settled, Hotch helped his son plug his computer cables back in. He handed Jack back his phone, iPod, and PSP, then gave him a small kiss on the forehead.

"Be good," Hotch warned. Jack nodded seriously and began to charge all of his electronics.

In the living room, Hotch took Emily in a kiss. He rubbed his hands on her prominent belly, smiling.

"He or she is getting big, huh?" he chuckled. Emily nodded.

"I'm so excited," she grinned. Hotch placed his hands on her stomach again. It was amazing to know that what was inside was theirs.

Suddenly, Hotch's phone rang. He closed his eyes in annoyance, sighed, then answered it.

"Hotchner," he spoke professionally. His eyes widened.

"Are you sure? I-Alright. Okay. I'll be there," he said, gritting his teeth. He sighed and ran his hands down his face.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked, tensing at Hotch's discomfort.

"We… Dave thinks they've found the rapist," Hotch forced out. Emily sucked in a breath.

"Are you sure?" she asked, fighting tears.

Hotch nodded grimly and pressed a fleeting kiss to her lips. He shrugged on his coat and looked painfully into her eyes.

"Be careful," she said through her teeth. He nodded, pressed one more kiss to her head, then ran away quickly.

"Mom? What's going on?" Jack asked, a wildly worried look on his face.

"They've found the… The guy," she said, sniffing. Jack's eyes widened.

"Seriously? W-well, that's great, isn't it?" he asked, sitting next to her on the couch.

"I-I think so," she said, wiping away a small tear. He rubbed her back and turned on the TV.

As they were watching, the phone rang, cutting through an ad for shoes.

"Hello?" Emily answered.

A gruff tone came through the line. "I've been watching you."

**Author's Note: Creepy cliffy, huh? Sorry about the small chapter, but I had to make up for the late updates. I hope you aren't too angry with me! This is where the action gets in. The next chapter isn't going to be the next month of Em's pregnancy; instead it's going to be a continuation of this. Long story short, I'm basically going to put in an extra chapter between now and Month 5. **


	15. Everything Will Be Just Fine

**Author's Note: I know… how mean was it for me to leave you at that cliff-hanger? Well, here's chapter 15!**

Emily's throat went dry.

"W-what?" she asked quietly.

"I said I've been watching you, Emily. How're Aaron and Jack? Do you know what you're having?" the voice replied. It didn't wait for an answer. "Anyway, I'm coming for you. And if you call any one of your little FBI buddies to protect your sorry ass, I'll make sure to kill every last one of them. You understand?"

Immediately, Emily knew.

She knew who this was. It was that _bastard_, the one that had almost ruined her life. It was the one who had ruined her almost-perfect life.

"You stay away from my family," she said fiercely before slamming the phone down. Jack looked at her, his eyes wide.

"Mom, what happened?" he asked, materializing at her side. She lurched forward, falling on her hands and knees. She began to hyperventilate. This asshole was ruining her life, and now he knew where she lived, what she did… She wasn't about to let this happen to Jack. He had already lost one mother. Unfortunately, her prone body wasn't able to move. Jack knelt beside her, his eyes scanning her body wildly.

"C-call J-…" Emily tried to force her words out. Her nerves were getting the best of her, and she couldn't speak.

"JJ? You want me to call Aunt JJ? Okay, okay, I can do that," Jack nodded, fumbling for the phone. He punched in JJ's number as fast as he could, on edge as the phone rang.

"Jennifer Jareau," she answered.

"Aunt JJ!" Jack cried.

"Jack? Is that you? What's going on?" she asked worriedly.

"E-Emily's gone under shock or something, and someone just called, and… And it's bad! Aunt JJ, you just have to get here, now," he said quickly.

"O-okay. I'll bring Spence with me. I'll be right there, Jack. Just stay put, okay?" she said before hanging up the phone. Jack threw the phone haphazardly across the room, returning to Emily's side. He propped her up on the couch and pulled her hair back.

"Are you okay?" he asked, searching her eyes.

"I-I think so," she gasped. He ran to the kitchen and poured a glass of water before returning and holding it up to Emily's lips. She took a few feeble sips before gasping again, then resting her head on the couch.

"Emily, I need you to tell me who called," he said slowly.

"It…It was the guy. The-the man who raped me," she said, her eyes closed.

"What did he say?"

"He…He knows where we live. He knows I'm pregnant, he knows… He knows who you are, Jack," she spoke tearfully. His stomach rose into his throat, but he had to stay strong, for Emily's sake.

"Well… Aunt JJ and Uncle Spencer are on the way, okay?" he said, trying to reassure her. She looked at him and grabbed his hand.

"Jack…" she whispered. He leaned closer, trying to hear her voice.

"What is it, Mom? What do you need?"

"I need you to know that I love you so much," she said softly. A tear forced its way out of his eye and made its way down his cheek.

"I love you too, Emily. Please, just hang on. JJ and Spence will be here soon," he promised. He held the glass of water to her lips again. She sipped, and he placed it back on the table.

Soon enough, there was a knock at the door.

"Jack? Emily? Are you guys alright?" JJ's voice projected through the apartment. Jack gave Emily's hand a squeeze and opened the door.

"Where's Emily?" Reid asked nervously. Jack pointed shakily to the couch, where JJ immediately ran.

"Emily, are you alright?" JJ asked, taking her hand.

"The… The rapist. He knows… He knows where we are, and he knows about Jack, Aaron, my pregnancy… JJ, he knows everything," Emily said fearfully. JJ squeezed her hand.

"Spencer and I are here, Emily. We're going to do everything we can to keep you and Jack safe, okay?" JJ promised. She looked to Reid, and he nodded, pulling out his gun.

"Jack, stay here with Aunt Jennifer and your mom, okay?" Reid looked into his eyes. Jack pulled him aside.

"Don't let anyone touch Emily, okay?" Jack pleaded with Reid.

"I wouldn't let that happen. Ever," Reid promised. Jack nodded and returned to the two women by the couch. Reid went around the house, locking every window and the front and back doors. He drew the curtains and continued to walk around the apartment, his gun loaded.

Emily was now sitting upright on a kitchen chair, her cheek rested on her hand.

"Do you know what you're having yet?" JJ asked, trying to lighten the tension in the room. Emily shook her head sadly.

"Nope, not yet. I have my appointment in a few weeks," she replied. Her eyes flickered towards Jack, who was sitting on the couch, his arms wrapped around his knees. His chin was rested on the tops of his knees.

"He'll be okay, Emily," JJ rubbed Emily's knee comfortingly. "He'll be okay."

"I'm just worried, Jayje. I never wanted any of this to happen to Aaron or Jack," Emily said sadly.

"Don't worry, Em. You'll get through this. You always do," JJ promised. She took Emily's clammy hand in her warm one and ran her fingers over it.

"I know. I just wish that this never happened," Emily sighed.

"There is an upside to all this. You're bringing a new life into the world. That's amazing," JJ smiled at Emily's bump. Emily placed her hands over it and gave out a light chuckle.

"Yeah, I guess…"

"Hey, uh, JJ? You might wanna come see this," Reid said uncomfortably. JJ frowned and pulled out her gun and loaded it. Emily's breath hitched in her throat, but JJ rubbed her shoulder.

"I'm sure it's nothing." JJ followed Reid through the hall and stared out the window. A black van was parked just under it, and four men exited the car. They were each armed with a small handgun, but they looked menacing enough.

JJ caught the face of one just as he was about to enter the lobby. Her heart stopping, she realized who it was.

It was Josh Tremblay, Emily's rapist.

**Author's Note: DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNN… I know, how mean, another cliffy. Oh well! Guess you'll just have to leave more reviews ;). Just kidding. I'll get back to this as soon as possible! I promise…**


	16. Maybe Not

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Enjoy Chapter 16…**

"Hotch, get over here, now," JJ barked into her phone, her tone harsh and abrupt.

"Wh-why? What's going on?" he asked in a scared tone.

"Tremblay just got here, and he's with some cronies. Just… Just get here, now. They're coming up!" JJ cried. She hung up on Hotch, not leaving any room for further debate.

"What's going on?" Jack called from the living room. JJ rushed around the house, turning off every light in the house. She ushered Jack and Emily into the bathroom with a flashlight. Sergio slipped through the crack in the door and joined them.

"You guys, stay in here and don't make a sound. Spence and I will be out here, and they won't get in. Do you hear me?" JJ noted the stress-caused tears streaming down Emily's face. "They will _not_ get in," she promised. JJ pressed a gentle kiss to both Jack and Emily's foreheads, then locked the door behind her, leaving the two with nothing but a small flashlight. Jack could hear Emily's quiet, ragged sobs. He let go of Sergio, wrapped his arms protectively around Emily's shoulders, and rubbed them, trying to calm her down.

"Mom? Listen to me. Aunt JJ and Reid are out there, and those guys won't get in. They won't. Dad and Uncle Morgan and Uncle Rossi are on their way. They're gonna stop these guys before they get to you. I promise," Jack said firmly, "And if, God-forbid, they get in here, I will do whatever I can to protect you." He shut his eyes tight. Maybe if he kept his eyes closed long enough, this would all go away, and it would just be a nightmare.

Emily sniffed and piped up after a long time. Sergio crawled around her neck.

"You know how they teach you in school that dark and cold don't really exist and how heat and light just expand to fill up those places?" Emily asked.

Jack nodded, the dim light reflecting off his hair.

"Well, they don't know what they're talking about. Sometime, somewhere, you reach a place where it's dark and it's cold. You'll reach the place where no heat or light dares to expand. Darkness and cold really do exist. And I just hope that you never, ever have to be there, Jack," Emily said, sucking in a breath. She took his hand, kissed it, gave it a squeeze, and let go. Tears began to roll down his face.

"Emmy… Have you been to that place?" he asked.

"Yeah, baby. Yeah, I have," she sniffled. He twirled a piece of Emily's hair between his fingers.

"Remember that one time when all of us went to the beach and you stepped on a bee?" Jack said, beginning to grin at the memory. He wanted to do whatever he could to get her mind off the situation at hand.

She began to smile. "Yeah, I remember. Derek had to hold me down while Reid pulled it out with two credit cards," she remembered, "God… I really _hate_ bees," she grimaced.

"Me too. But then, after that, we brought out our surfboards and you forgot all about it," he reminded her. He felt as if he was talking to a child.

"Yeah… Those were some pretty good times," she smiled. It then fell silent.

Then, all of a sudden…

_Bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang! _

Emily jumped at the gunshots. Suddenly, a scream emitted from the darkened apartment, and she instinctively wrapped Jack in her arms. The two sobbed quietly as more grunts and gunshots rang out.

Soon, the gunshots died out, and there was a knock at the door.

"Emily? Jack?" Hotch's voice projected into the bathroom. An immense wave of relief rolled over the two, knowing that Hotch was safe. They simultaneously made the sign of the cross, then turned on the bathroom light and unlocked the door.

Hotch, JJ, Morgan, Rossi, and Reid stood there, all spattered in small amounts of blood.

"Is everyone alright?" Emily asked, gasping at the sight of her teammates. They nodded, then looked to the prone figures laying on the ground. All four of the men had been killed, including Josh. Emily directed Jack away and out of the apartment, and sent Reid after him.

She looked down at the freshly-shot Tremblay's face, staring down at it with insipid hatred.

"Go to hell," she spat on his face.

The paramedics and police finally arrived, and they removed the bodies from the apartment. Hotch held both Jack and Emily in his arms. He kissed them each on the head repetitively, keeping a strong grip on them.

As soon as the buzz died down, Emily, Hotch, and Jack were left in the living room.

"Aaron, I can't stay in this house anymore," Emily said quietly, rubbing her nose. Hotch nodded painfully, knowing that this would happen. It wasn't like he was surprised. Who wants to live in the home where the thing that ruined their life was now stained on the carpet?

"Okay, Emily. We can stay here for a little bit until I find an apartment," he promised. She pulled away.

"No, Aaron. I mean, I can't stay. I have to get away from this place," she said sadly. She got up from her seat and began to pack her things in the master bedroom. Hotch hurried after her.

"Babe, listen. We can go to Dave's house. He wouldn't have a problem with us staying there until we get back up on our feet," Hotch said, rubbing her arms and kissing her forehead. A tear escaped from her eye.

"Okay," she agreed. Soon enough, the three set to packing their clothing after Hotch phoned Rossi.

"Alright. Dave is here, and he's parked just outside. He's going to take you over there. I've just got to sign some paperwork and things, and I'll be there," Hotch said, kissing the two and handing Jack Sergio.

"That sounds fine. See you there," Emily pecked him back on the lips.

"Bye Dad. We'll see you there," Jack smiled, waving with his free hand.

As his family walked out of the door, he slumped down.

They were going to make it work. They always made things work…

Right?

**Author's Note: Yay! Now I can go back to my regular month-chapters! Hope you guys enjoyed that bit of action! :) **


	17. Month Five

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Eep! You get to find out what Emily's having! :)**

**Month 5**

"Miss Prentiss?" the neonatologist poked her head into the room. Emily lay on a bed, her stomach covered in ultrasound gel. Emily raised her head just enough to see the doctor. Hotch was by her side, holding her hand. Jack sat in a chair opposite Emily's bed.

"Yes?" Emily asked anxiously, lifting her head just enough so she could see the doctor.

"We have the results of your test. Are you ready?" the doctor asked, smiling. Hotch gripped Emily's hand tighter, and Jack proceeded to join them.

"I think so," Emily smiled up at Hotch and Jack, and they both nodded.

"Alright, well, it seems like you're having a…" the doctor paused dramatically, "girl!"

Emily's heart stopped.

A girl.

A beautiful little girl. She let out a gasp.

"A-Are you serious?" she asked in joyful disbelief. Hotch stood still, happy tears threatening to fall over the edge. Jack's stomach tingled with excitement.

"Really?" he asked, "I'm going to be a big brother…"

"Yeah, you are Jack," Hotch smiled at his son, "Can we have a few minutes, Doc?"

The neonatologist nodded with a smile and bowed out of the room.

"A baby girl… Wow…" Hotch murmured, staring at Emily's stomach. A small baby girl was growing in there.

"I know," Emily grinned. She placed her hands on her raised stomach and caressed it.

"Hey, Macy Giselle," Emily whispered. A single tear ran down her face.

"This is going to be amazing," Hotch said to her, grazing her forehead with a barely perceptible kiss. She held both Hotch and Jack's hands, smiling up at them.

"Yeah, yeah it is," Jack agreed. Emily gave their hands a squeeze before letting go and shooing them out of the room so she could change.

-Rossi's 'Mansion'-

"What's the news, _mia bella_?" Rossi asked grandly, opening the door.

"A baby girl!" she squealed. The older man threw his arms around her, enveloping her in a staggering hug.

"That's wonderful! I can't wait to be a 'grandpa'," Rossi grinned. He shook Hotch's hand. "Congratulations, you two."

"Thanks, Dave," Hotch smiled. They entered the house, and Emily's phone began to ring immediately.

"Emily!" JJ and Penelope shouted simultaneously. Emily pulled the phone away from her ear and winced.

"Good Lord, guys. Calm down a little," she chuckled.

"Well? What is it?" Penelope prodded.

"I'm having a little girl," Emily smiled. Shrieks emitted from the other end of the line.

"Penelope and Jayje," Emily immediately heard Will's voice. "Tone it down, yeah? And Emily, congratulations," he acknowledged.

"Thanks, Will," she beamed. She balanced her cell between her shoulder and the crook of her neck as she held onto both rails to walk up the stairs.

"When's the baby shower?" JJ asked excitedly.

"I'm not sure. But, will you guys help me plan it?" Emily asked hopefully. She took a deep breath and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. A sweat broke out across her forehead, but she ignored it.

"Eep! Of course!" they both yelled. They giggled as Will shushed them once more.

"Thanks guys. Ooh, I'm gonna lie down," Emily groaned.

"Are you alright?" JJ's happy voice was tainted with concern.

"I think so. I'll talk to you guys later. Maybe we could meet up for dinner tonight and discuss some plans?" Emily offered.

"That sounds great," Penelope confirmed. "Feel better!"

"Yeah, feel better, Em. We'll see you tonight," JJ said before shutting her phone. Emily placed her phone on the nightstand and groaned as she lay back in her bed. Her heart began beating faster than usual, and more sweat beaded at her hairline. Her face suddenly became very warm, and she found herself stripping down to pajama shorts and a tank top. She spread herself out across the bed, her arms and legs splayed out.

Suddenly, her stomach lurched. She raced out of bed and hurled into the toilet. She began to hack, and soon she was spitting out blood. She rolled her eyes and wiped her mouth off, rinsing it out.

"Aaron? Can you come here?" she called. Soon, she heard his footsteps hurrying up the stairs.

"What's wrong?" he asked, coming up next to her.

"I threw up again. I know, it's normal, but I was coughing up blood," she said concernedly.

"I'm sure you're alright. That happened to Haley a couple times," he said, his voice distant. She raked her hands through her hair and sighed.

"I hate this," she muttered.

"I know, I know. But, you get to bring a new baby girl into the world. Isn't that amazing?" Hotch said, trying to find the light in the situation.

"Yeah… Yeah it is," Emily smiled. He kissed her forehead and exited the bathroom, leaving Emily to splash her face with some cold water.

She made her way downstairs and her stomach began to rumble. Then she remembered, she hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch. She immediately rummaged through the refrigerator, trying to find something that was ready-to-eat.

_Damn you, David Rossi, for not ever having anything in your fridge but steak and wine! _She thought. She moved from the fridge to the cupboard. There, she found an entire stock of Dorito chips and began to scarf them down.

Soon enough, she found herself sitting on the couch, watching a rerun of Jersey Shore, (which, by the way, was a show she absolutely could not stand), her fingers covered in orange dust.

Hotch swung his head into the room.

"I thought you hated Jersey Shore," he grinned, taking a seat next to her and reaching into the bag of chips.

"I know, but there was nothing else on. Oh my God, Snooki and J-Wow are getting into an argument!" she cried, pointing frantically at the TV.

He chuckled. "Did I ever tell you that you're completely insane?"

She shot him a look. "Yes. I'm well aware of that, too," she giggled. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his cheek to her warm shoulder.

"Sheesh, you are really burning up," he muttered. "Do you want me to grab you some ice packs?"

"I'm fine, honey. Thanks though. Listen, I'm meeting up with JJ and PG later tonight to plan the baby shower," she explained.

"That's great, hon. Dave and I were planning to just order some Chinese, so you're not missing much," he assured her.

"Great," she smiled. They continued to sit, watching Jersey Shore and 'Jerseylicious' until Emily's 'fever' went down.

As Emily was settling down into Hotch's chest, she saw the clock. Five thirty.

"Crap!" she cried. "I have to go!" she said, jumping up from the couch (as best as a pregnant woman could).

"Be careful driving, love. If you need me to pick you up, call me, okay?" he shouted as she walked out the door.

"See you later!"

With that, the door shut, and he heard it lock.

**Author's Note: Ta-da! Chapter 17 is done! :)**


	18. Baby Shower

**Author's Note: So, I decided not to do a chapter about planning the baby shower because I wanted to surprise you. Anyway, I'll be back to the norm after this chapter! Oh, and sorry about the late updates! :) So here's a long chapter as sort of a peace offering ;)**

**-Baby Shower-**

_Ding dong!_

Emily checked her watch. Three forty five. The guests weren't supposed to arrive for another hour.

"I'll get it!" she clapped excitedly. She waddled towards the door and peeked through the peephole to see JJ's smiling face. Henry and Will were waiting behind her, holding two gift bags and some balloons. Emily grinned and opened the door, and JJ threw her arms around her neck.

"Hey! You're early," Emily chuckled. JJ nodded.

"Yep! I wanted to be the first one here," JJ winked. Will and Henry followed her in.

"Hey, Henry," Jack smiled, coming up behind Emily and shutting the door. Henry grinned back up at him.

"Hey, Jack."

"Let's go upstairs. I wanna show you something," Jack grinned, leading Henry up the stairs. JJ shook her head, giggling.

"Those boys. Let's just hope that they don't blow up the house, yeah?" Emily chuckled. JJ wrapped her arm around Emily's shoulder and walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, JJ, Will," Hotch grinned with a slight wave.

"Hey, Hotch," JJ greeted. "Em, did you call the catering already?"

"Yeah, they should be here in about fifteen minutes," Emily nodded. "Do you think you could come with me to the store and pick up some snacks?"

"Of course," JJ smiled. The two women grabbed their purses and headed out the door. Immediately, Hotch ran upstairs and knocked on what was Jack's temporary room.

"Jack? Do you have Emily's present?" he asked through the door. Jack pulled the door open.

"Yep. Do you need it?" he turned to grab it from his closet.

"Yeah, hand it over," he said, holding his hand out. Jack opened his closet and rummaged through it.

"Hi, Uncle Aaron," Henry smiled.

"Hey, buddy. How are you?" Hotch waved.

"I'm great." He gave Hotch a fleeting hug and returned to his spot on Jack's bed. Jack handed Hotch the wrapped gift and grinned.

"What're you boys up to?" Hotch asked, aware that the door was only partially opened. Jack looked down at the ground.

"Um, I… I just needed Henry's help with something…" he lied quickly. Hotch raised an eyebrow.

"Let me get this straight. You," he pointed to Jack, "Needed his," then pointed to Henry, "help?"

"Uh, yeah. Now, if you don't mind, we need to get back to that," Jack said, ushering Hotch from the doorway. He frowned as the door shut in front of him.

"O-okay?" he said to himself, jogging down the stairs.

"Hey, Aaron," Rossi called Hotch into the garage. He was failing at his attempt to hang up an "It's a Girl!" banner.

"Need help?" Hotch asked, raising an eyebrow with a small chuckle. Rossi nodded with a glare.

"What do you think?"

Hotch began to laugh and took over for Rossi.

"Thank you," Rossi chuckled at himself.

"Of course. Emily said the catering should be here soon, right?" Hotch asked. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Rossi immediately answered it to find none other than the caterers with their truck full of food.

"Please, come in," Rossi gestured. The caterers began to busy themselves by arranging the food on the tables outside.

As the caterers set up the food and beverages, Rossi and Hotch began to string pink banners and pink balloons around the house.

"We're home," Emily called from the front door, locking it behind her. She noted the caterers and breathed a sigh of relief. She set the chips and snacks in trays and paid the caterers.

"Thank you so much," Emily smiled as they walked out the door.

"Em, get in here!" JJ squealed with excitement.

"What? What's going on?" she worried, waddling as fast as she could to the garage.

When she finally processed everything that her eyes took in, she gasped.

The garage was set up beautifully. The chairs were decorated with delicate pink bows. The tablecloths were striped with different shades of pink. There were bunches of pink flowers on each table.

"Oh my God," Emily smiled, her eyes tearing up. Hotch rubbed her back.

"Do you like it?" he asked hopefully.

"Oh, babe, I love it," she giggled, pressing a kiss to his lips. JJ clapped.

"It's beautiful, Em," she grinned. Emily wiped the tears away from her eyes.

"Okay, well, I'm going to get dressed. Hurry up and set up the backyard!" she rushed Rossi and Hotch to the back of the house and made sure they began before she changed.

-In the backyard-

"So, _mi amigo_, when's the wedding?" Rossi inquired, spreading sheets over the tables. They were setting up for dinner. The garage was where everyone was going to play the games.

"What?" Hotch asked, caught off guard.

"When's the wedding? You proposed, she said yes, and you're having a child. When's the wedding?" Rossi repeated once more.

"Oh, the wedding. You know, we're really not having a big one. It'll probably just be our families, the team and their families, and some friends. She said she didn't want a big one, and I agreed," he explained.

"I see. Does Emily want to have it after the baby or before?" Rossi questioned.

"We talked it over, and she's wanting to have it after the baby's born," Hotch replied.

"That's good. At least she'll spend less on a regular dress instead of a pregnancy one," the older man pointed out with a light chuckle.

"You're right," Hotch grinned, tying balloons around some trees.

"Are you guys done yet?" Emily called from the staircase.

"Yep! Come out here and take a look, sweetie," Hotch shouted back. He could hear Emily's loud footsteps coming down on the tile of Rossi's 'mansion'.

"Oh, this is beautiful! I love the candles," Emily murmured.

"Me too. This is wonderful, isn't it?" Hotch smiled at his wife-to-be's awe and dropped a kiss on her forehead.

"Definitely."

The doorbell rang, and JJ hurried to answer it.

"Hello, Jennifer," Strauss smiled. She held up two large bags decorated with pink frilly bows and silvery glitter stripes. Her husband was standing behind her, smiling.

"Chief Strauss, it's great to see you! Emily and Aaron are in the backyard," JJ told them. She shook Mr. Strauss's hand.

"This is my husband Jason," Strauss gestured to her husband. "And please, this is an informal gathering. Call me Erin."

JJ was stunned.

_Where is Chief Strauss and what did you do to her? _She thought to herself with an inward chuckle. She ushered them to the backyard door where Emily, Mr. and Mrs. Strauss, and Hotch exchanged greetings.

The doorbell rang continuously. Soon, Morgan showed up with Garcia as his date. Reid had brought Seaver, and Anderson showed up. Then, some of the agents from different teams arrived, including Jordan Todd from Counterterrorism. Soon enough, the house was filled with agents and friends coming to celebrate Emily and Hotch's daughter.

After the games ended, the guests filed into the backyard for the food.

Just as everyone sat down, Hotch stood up and tapped his glass. All eyes were on him now.

"I would just like to thank you all so much for attending our baby shower. This really means a lot to us. So I'd like to raise a toast to the celebration of new life," Hotch announced.

"New life!" echoed around the table along with sounds of clinking glasses.

"Now please, enjoy the food," Emily smiled, eliciting a few chuckles from the guests. Immediately, chatter and the sound of chewing broke out through the tables.

Amidst all the noise, Hotch pulled Emily aside, dropping a kiss to her forehead.

"Are you enjoying the party?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her. He felt her nod against his shoulder.

"That's great, sweetie. I have a little present for you," he grinned, pulling out the small box from his pocket.

"What's this?" she asked, completely surprised at his gesture.

"Open it," he whispered. She pulled the box open to reveal a beautiful necklace. It was a small gold cross on a white gold chain, with the words _Forever and Always _etched on the back.

"Aaron… Oh my God…" she gasped. "This is beautiful." He unclasped the necklace and draped it around her neck, re-clasping it once it was under her hair. It glinted in the faint light of the candles across the yard. He pulled her close and pressed a soft kiss to her warm lips.

"I love you so much," he murmured.

"I love you too, Aaron."

"Emily? Jack and Henry want you out here," JJ interrupted, jerking her thumb towards the tables. Emily raised a brow.

"I wonder why?" she pondered out loud. Yet, she followed JJ back to the tables, where a projector and a screen had been quickly set up.

"What's this?" Emily asked nervously. Jack and Henry stepped out from behind the screen, and people began to clap. Emily followed, just slightly more confused than everyone else.

Through a microphone, Jack spoke, "So, this slideshow is in honor of my beautiful, amazing, incredible mother-to-be." He pressed a button on a small remote, and immediately, pictures switched in and out according to his button presses. There were multiple of himself, Emily, and Hotch all together. There were a couple of JJ, Emily, and Penelope together, some of Emily and Rossi, Morgan and Emily, and Emily with Reid. There were also a few of himself, Henry, Emily, and JJ at the zoo and various places. Soon, a few embarrassing photos of Emily surfaced. They were from the day that Hotch, Jack, and Emily decided they wanted to throw _pies _at each other. Emily's face was covered in whipped cream and bits of pie crust. Luckily, those photos passed, and ones of Emily and Jack came onto the screen.

Finally, a family photo of a still-skinny Emily, Hotch, and Jack ended the slideshow. The guests clapped, and there were tears in Emily's eyes. The moment it ended, she ran up to Jack and threw her arms around him in a staggering hug.

"Jack, that was beautiful!" she cried. He blushed and looked down.

"Hey, Henry helped too!" he choked, trying to get Emily off of him. Still, a grin was making itself known on his face.

"Oh, Henry!" Emily squealed, pulling the blonde little boy into a hug. She pressed a smacking kiss to his cheek. Now it was _his _turn to blush.

"It was a lot of fun to make, Aunt Em," Henry grinned.

"Oh, guys, that was incredible," Emily sighed. The boys smiled.

"We're glad you liked it. It took us forever," Jack looked up at her and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"I love you guys, you know that?" she giggled, pulling them under each shoulder. Emily steered them to the tables and sat back down, restarting her conversation with Jordan.

-Later that night-

"Good night, Jack. Good night, Henry," Emily said softly to the two boys before closing the door. JJ had let Henry stay the night after his constant begging throughout the party.

"'Night Mom," Jack smiled.

"Good night, Aunt Emily!" Emily heard Henry call just before she closed the door. She waddled as fast as her sore feet would take her toward her temporary bedroom, only to find Hotch already passed out on the bed.

Just as she was about to walk through the door, she felt a hand on her shoulder, making her jump a mile high.

"God, Dave! You scared the living hell outta me!" she half-gasped, half-giggled.

"Sorry, _bella_," he smiled. He pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck, returning it.

"It's okay," she chuckled. He massaged her shoulders lightly.

"Sleep tight," he grinned, closing the door to his own bedroom. She pulled the door closed behind her and climbed into bed gently, giving it her best shot to not wake up her sleeping fiancée. She successfully made it under the covers, then snuggled into Hotch.

Lying awake, she thought about the day. It had been completely surreal; a baby shower was something she had always wished for.

Thinking about the decorations, the guests, the food, and especially Jack and Henry's presentation, she realized something.

Her life was completely perfect.

**Author's Note: Well, there you go! Hope you're not too fed up with my ridiculously late updates. School and crap has been hard :/ So I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	19. Month Six

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the baby shower! Here's Month 6! Aren't you exited? I know I am! :) I apologize for the late updates. It's just really taking me longer and longer to try and write good-quality, long chapters. I hope you're not annoyed! (I'm sure you are; I'm just hoping you're not!) Enjoy…**

**Month Six**

_Fweet fweet! _The referee blew his whistle, indicating the start of Jack's last soccer game of the season. Emily kept her eyes on Jack's back. Number one.

_That's my boy_ she thought with a small grin. He was playing forward.

"What're you smiling at?" Hotch asked, focusing on the game and rubbing her back.

"Oh, nothing," Emily blushed. She watched Jack take the ball up the field. He dribbled toward the goal and passed it to a teammate. His team member passed it back to him once they were past the defenders. He dribbled it and slammed the ball towards the goal. It bounced into the net easily, shooting past the confused goalie.

"Woo-hoo! Go Jack!" Emily and Hotch shouted, smiling. Jack looked up from the field to the bleachers. He flashed them a grin then turned his attention back to the game. The other team started off with the ball this time, and barely made it past the midfielders before Jack was able to steal it back. He skillfully delivered it past the defenders on the other side, then made a pass to the other forward. She dribbled it toward the goal, and at the last second, passed it back to Jack. He knocked the ball into the goal, eliciting yells from the bleachers and high-fives from his teammates.

"Three to zero in the first ten minutes of the game, impressive," Emily grinned. Hotch nodded.

"That's Jack for you. Every time he gets a chance at the ball, he won't stop until he gets to the goal," Hotch told her. They continued to watch the game until the referee blew his whistle once more. The game ended, 6-2. Jack's team won. They raced up to the bleachers with sweaty foreheads and grinning red faces.

"You did amazing, sweetie!" Emily exclaimed. Jack grinned, gulping down an entire bottle of water in four large sips.

"Thanks Mom. I'm gonna go grab a snack, and then we can go," he turned around to join his friends. Emily watched him high-five his teammates and exchange laughs with some of the other boys.

"He's a good kid, isn't he?" Emily sighed, wrapping her arms around Hotch's waist. He did the same in return.

"He's his father's child," Hotch teased. Emily broke into a fit of giggles.

"What's so funny?" Jack grinned, walking up to them and handing Emily a roll of Oreos.

"You are amazing," she chuckled, unwrapping the cookies. She munched on them on their way to the car.

"So, the team dinner is tomorrow at the Ritz Carlton. I'm nominated for MVP," Jack told his parents excitedly.

"That's really great, sweetie," Emily smiled from the front seat.

"Isn't it? Oh, Dad, you might want to pull out your tux for tomorrow night," Jack remembered that attendees had to wear formal clothing.

"Damn it, I have to wear something nice?" Emily groaned.

"What's wrong with a dress, Mom?" Jack asked, stifling a chuckle.

"Nothing, sweetie. I just have to go out shopping for one that will fit around my gigantic stomach," she grinned.

"I'll go with you today. I finished all my homework during class," Jack offered.

"That's nice, sweetie. Aaron, could you drop us off at the mall?" Emily asked. Hotch nodded, making a right instead of the left turn to return to Rossi's house.

"Dad, when you get home, can you ask Uncle Dave if he wants to join us?" Jack asked.

"Sure, buddy. I'm sure he'd love to," Hotch replied.

"What time should I pick you guys up?" he asked, unlocking the door. Jack exited the car first to help Emily.

"Maybe six?" Emily suggested.

"Sounds good. I'll be at home. Call me if you need something, alright?" Hotch drove off after Jack shut the door behind Emily.

"Ooh…" Emily groaned, placing her hands on her stomach. Jack's eyes widened.

"You're not going into labor, are you?" he asked wildly. This elicited a giggle from Emily.

"No, of course not, Jack. I've got three months to go," she reminded him. He nodded in relief.

"Right. Do you need to sit down or something?" he checked. She shook her head and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she opened them again.

"No, I'm okay. Let's go," she ushered him through the doors of the mall.

-Rossi's home-

"Dave, I'm home," Hotch called just after unlocking the door.

"Welcome, my friend. How was Jack's game?"

"It was great. They won 6-2," Hotch grinned.

"Wow. Is he going to play in high school?" Rossi inquired.

"I hope so. I mean, he wants to."

"That's good," Rossi nodded, pulling some milk out of the refrigerator.

"I guess. Do you have any beers in there?" Hotch peeked his head into the fridge. Rossi looked at the milk in his hands, then put it back immediately with a slight grin. He pulled out a six-pack of beer.

"When do I not?" Rossi joked. Hotch shook his head with laughter and wrenched one out from the pack.

"Where're Emily and Jack?" Rossi asked after taking a sip. Hotch gulped down his beer.

"Emily needed to go shopping for something nice to wear. Tomorrow's Jack's season dinner. Which reminds me… I need to grab my suit. Oh, and he wanted you to join us. You up to it?" Hotch paused before going to find his suit. Rossi nodded in mid-gulp. Hotch grinned and took off to find his outfit.

-At the mall-

"What about this one?" Jack held up a dress. The two had made their way to the clothing shop that carried pregnancy clothing. They were in the six-month section, scouring the racks for something beautiful.

The dress Jack had held up was a light, shimmering turquoise. Thin black straps would hold it up on Emily's body. There was a black stripe at the bottom of the dress where it narrowed in.

"That's actually really beautiful, Jack. Wait out here while I try it on," she smiled, waddling towards the dressing rooms. Just as Emily latched the door behind her, Jack's cell vibrated.

"Hello?" he answered it.

"Hey, Jack. Are you and Emily done yet?" Hotch's voice became clear over the other end.

"Yeah, she's trying on like, her ninth dress. I think she'll like it though. I picked it out," Jack added.

"Alright. Well, Uncle Dave said he'd be happy to come with us. Call me when you're ready, okay?" Hotch said before hanging up. Jack shoved his phone back in his pocket as Emily exited the dressing room.

"You like it?" Jack asked.

"I love it, Jack. Let's go pay. Can you call your dad?" she asked, carefully carrying the dress to the cash register. Jack nodded and went off in the corner.

"That will be two-hundred ninety six dollars, please," the cashier smiled.

"Alright, gimme a second," Emily fumbled in her purse for her credit card.

"Do you know what you're having yet?" the cashier asked curiously.

"A girl," Emily grinned, swiping the thin piece of plastic through the scanner.

"Wow… Congratulations," the cashier smiled wistfully.

"Thank you," Emily replied, punching in her pin number. The cashier printed out the receipt and handed it to her.

"Thank you, Miss Prentiss. Have a nice day now," the cashier waved.

"You too," Emily called over her shoulder.

"Dad's here," Jack told Emily.

"Alright. Let's go." She wrapped her arm around his shoulder, and the two walked out.

As soon as they were out, they spotted Hotch's car.

As they climbed in, Hotch asked, "Did you find a dress?"

"Yep. Jack picked it out," Emily winked. Jack beamed.

"I sure did," he told his dad. Hotch raised an eyebrow.

"Huh. Well, I'll have to take a look when we get home," Hotch chuckled.

"Mom looks great in it too," Jack grinned.

Hotch nodded. "I believe you."

-At home-

"You did a great job picking this out, Jack," Hotch praised his son. Jack smiled.

"Thanks, Dad. Well, seeing as it's already eleven thirty, I'm going to bed. Tell Emily I said good night," Jack waved.

"Alright, buddy. Good night."

"Good night, Dad." And with that, Jack locked his door behind him.

"Emily, sweetie, are you still awake?" Hotch asked. Emily rolled over on the bed.

"Unfortunately, yes. I am tired as all heck," she groaned.

"Just close your eyes," Hotch instructed, pulling his shirt over his head and changing into a pair of sweatpants.

"I tried that," Emily pouted. He climbed into bed and pulled the covers over both of them. He proceeded to roll her over on her side and began to give her a massage.

"Are you getting sleepy yet?" he asked soothingly. A smile graced her lips.

"Yes, yes I am," she sighed contently. Her eyes began to close, and she drifted into a deep sleep.

-The next evening, getting ready for Jack's dinner.

"Jack, sweetie, could you hand me my heels please?" Emily called from downstairs. "They're by our closet door."

"You're not supposed to be wearing heels, _bella_," Rossi reminded her from behind. He was pulling on his tuxedo jacket.

"Fine," she pouted. To Jack, she called, "Never mind, honey. My flats are down here." She then waddled to the garage and attempted to bend over, but to no avail.

"Let me get those," Rossi chuckled.

"Thank you," she sighed, smiling. He sat her down at a bench and fixed her shoes onto her feet for her.

"There you go," he smiled, patting her knee. He pulled her up to her feet.

"Where the hell is Aaron?" she demanded. Rossi shook his head.

"He said he'd be home soon," he shrugged. Emily rolled her eyes.

"Let me call him," she groaned, pulling out her cell phone.

_Ring, ring._

_Ring, ring._

_Ring, ring._

"Hello. You've reached Aaron Hotchner. I'm sorry I wasn't able to answer the phone. Please leave a message or try again later. Thank you." Came his recorded voice.

Emily snapped her phone shut.

"Damn it," she muttered. She turned to Rossi.

"It's six fifteen, and we have to be there at six thirty," she growled. Rossi held his hands up in surrender.

"Sorry, my dear. If you want, I'll leave Aaron a message in the car to meet us-"

He was interrupted by the door unlocking.

"Hey guys. Sorry I'm late," Hotch said sheepishly, pulling the door shut behind him. He was still in his jeans and t-shirt.

"Aaron! Hurry up and get dressed! We have fifteen minutes to be there!" she called after him as he raced up the stairs.

Nearly running into Jack, Hotch sped into his room, flung the bathroom door open, and fumbled with the buttons of his clothing.

Jack jogged down the steps. His hair was neatly combed and gelled. He donned a slick, white suit and black leather dress shoes. Underneath, he was wearing a white dress shirt and a black vest. Around his neck was a navy blue tie, knotted perfectly. His wrist was covered by a white G-Shock watch.

"Jack… You look so great," Emily smiled, pulling him into a hug.

"Thanks, Mom. You look incredible too," he pointed out, grinning. She smiled.

"Aaron! Get your ass down here so we're not late!" she shouted. Jack chuckled.

"Hurry up, Dad!" Jack called afterwards. Hotch finally flew down the steps. His black suit was pieced together perfectly. A tie similar to Jack's was around his neck.

"Finally," Emily chuckled. The four made their way to the car.

The minute they were all buckled up, Hotch peeled out of the driveway and took off for the hotel.

-At the hotel-

"Good evening, everyone! As most of you may know, I am Coach Randy. I coach the co-ed soccer team for the area's AYSO league," Coach Randy introduced himself just as the four settled down at their tables.

Everyone broke into applause.

"Thank you, thank you. I would like to start off the evening with a little speech that I wrote. Here goes…" Coach Randy cleared his throat.

The speech consisted of his thanks to all of the supportive parents and family members that had participated in the team's activities. He then moved on to cover each player's strength.

"Jack Hotchner, number one, was undeniably the best forward I have ever coached. Let's give it up for this MVP nominated player!" Coach Randy announced. Jack blushed as people around him gave him high-fives and warm smiles.

"Alright. Before we move onto the dinner and dancing, I would like to invite up our MVP nominees. Will Jack Hotchner, Timothy Ray, and Alicia Bowers join me, please?" Coach Randy called up the three players. They made their way to the stage and stood side by side.

"And, our MVP for this season is…" As Coach Randy paused, the live band let out a drum roll.

"Jack Hotchner!" A fit of clapping and cheering erupted from the guests, especially from the table where Rossi, Hotch, and Emily were sitting.

"That's my boy!" Rossi yelled. Alicia gave Jack a rather large hug, and Timothy clapped him on the back with a broad smile.

"Great job, Jack," the two grinned, returning to their seats. Coach Randy pulled Jack closer.

"Jack, like I said, you are the best forward I have ever seen in my fifteen years of coaching. You helped win every single game that we had. Congratulations, Jack. You deserve this," Coach Randy smiled. He handed Jack the ever-coveted MVP trophy, eliciting more cheers and clapping from the crowd.

"Do you have anything to add, Jack?" Coach Randy asked, holding the microphone out to Jack. He accepted it and cleared his throat.

"Good evening, everybody. First of all, I wanna say 'congratulations' to Tim and Alicia for getting nominated. Let's give it up for them!" Jack grinned. The guests clapped politely.

"Alright. Um, well… Let's see… Where do I start? Okay. This has been such a great season. I would like to thank Coach Randy for putting me in as forward this year. I really appreciate that. I would also like to send a shout-out to my uncle Dave and my dad. Thank you so much for being there for me, guys. I would also like to thank Gracie for being such a great co-forward. And, um, last but not least, I would definitely like to thank my incredible stepmom, Emily," he smiled, looking in Emily's direction. A knot formed in her stomach.

"Ever since my real mom, um… Passed away," Jack paused, hearing some people say 'Aw' or 'Poor kid', "Emily has been here for me. I remember when she used to babysit me when I was little. We would always head out to the park across the street and practice soccer. She's always pushed me to do my best, and I thank her for that. So, thank you so much, Mom, for always being there and being so supportive. Let's hear it for my stepmom, Emily."

The guests burst into clapping and cheering. Tears welled up in Emily's eyes. She mouthed 'Thank you' in his direction. He caught it and gave a slight nod and smile.

"Wow, Jack. That was really wonderful. You can return to your seat now. Let's hear it one more time for our MVP!" Coach Randy grinned. The crowd once again applauded Jack as he made his way to his seat.

"Alright! Let's get this dinner started!" Coach Randy announced. Waiters in crisp uniforms broke out into the dining areas with huge trays of lobster, rolls, and steamed vegetables.

The waiters set down the trays at each table, earning gracious thanks.

"This is delicious!" Emily pointed out through a mouthful of lobster. Jack grinned.

"Isn't this awesome?" he agreed, digging into the vegetables.

As the guests finished up eating, the dance floor began to fill up.

"Guys, I'm gonna go dance. Uncle Dave, why don't you come with me? There's a single mom over there," Jack winked, nodding his head toward an older blonde woman who was about Rossi's age. Rossi immediately set down his napkin.

"Shall we go, nephew?" he grinned. The two made their way onto the dance floor.

"I am so proud of Jack," Emily marveled at his trophy which glinted in the light.

Hotch rubbed her back, swallowing a bite of lobster. "He's great," he smiled. Emily nodded in agreement.

"Whoo, boy!" Emily chuckled, rubbing her stomach. "I think Macy and I have had _far _more than enough to eat."

Hotch leaned down and pressed a kiss to Emily's stomach. Emily giggled and stroked his hair.

"This is going to be so exciting, isn't it?" Emily whispered, staring out at Jack dancing with his friends, and at Rossi flirting with the woman Jack had pointed out.

Hotch nodded in agreement. "Yeah… Yeah it is."

**Author's Note: And SCENE! Super long chapter, I know. I hope you enjoyed it, though! Review, please :) **


	20. Month Seven

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Long chapter last time, huh? (To be perfectly honest, I surprised myself with that one!) Anyway, I think this story is going to become my first epic. I mean, it's getting along quite well, don't you think. Enjoy…**

**Month Seven**

"Get this thing outta my stomach!" Emily shouted angrily. She slammed her empty plate into the sink, causing a loud noise, nearly cracking it. Hotch was heard running down the stairs, checking to see if Emily was okay.

"Emily, what's going on?" he cried, bursting into the kitchen. There, he found Emily glaring at him.

"This," she pointed to her stomach, "is what's going on." She took Hotch by the shoulders and shook him hard.

"Get. It. Out. Of. Me," she demanded. His eyes widened, and he wriggled out of her grasp.

"Emily, calm down. You only have a few more weeks to go, and little Macy will be out in a heartbeat. You hear me? You have to calm down. It's not good for your blood pressure," Hotch said softly in an attempt to soothe her.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Fine."

"Alright. I have to head to work," he paused to drop a kiss to her forehead and continued, "But I'll be home early. If we don't have a case, that is."

Emily returned his kiss.

"Alright. See you, sweetie," she called after him as he locked the door.

Just as Hotch started his car, Jack's bare feet came padding down the stairs.

"Morning, Mom," he grinned brightly. Emily frowned.

"Why are you still in your pajamas? You're going to be late for school!" she cried, bewildered. Jack looked down as if he hadn't noticed the fact that he had rolled out of bed just moments ago.

"Oh, right. I don't have school today," he reminded her. She nodded.

"I forgot," she grinned sheepishly. She pointed to the counter. "Breakfast."

"Gee, I don't think I can take any more of your excitement. Please, stop with the exuberance," he said dryly. She rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, babe. I'm just not feeling so hot right now," she whined. He grimaced.

"I'm sorry. Is there anything you need?" he asked politely before scarfing down a spoonful of scrambled eggs.

Emily shook her head. "Nah, I don't think so. Thanks, though. You're not sleeping in?"

"Nope. I'm really not that tired. Did Uncle Dave and Dad head out to work yet?" he asked, pulling out the container of orange juice from the refrigerator.

"Dave left earlier than your dad did. But yeah, they're both gone. Why? What's up?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to see if they were home," he replied simply. Emily waddled toward the couch and sat down with a thud.

"If you need me, I'll be upstairs," he called, running back up to his room. Emily clicked on the TV.

Just as she began to drift back to sleep, the phone let out a loud, obnoxious ring from the table.

"Ugh," she groaned, reaching over her head to grab the phone.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Good morning, Em!" JJ greeted brightly.

"What's up, Jayje?" Emily smiled, realizing who the caller was.

"Not much, really. Henry doesn't have class today. You think we could get together?" JJ asked.

"That sounds great, actually. I'll call Jack down here in a second. Where should we meet?" Emily questioned, pulling herself up from the couch.

"I was thinking we could let the boys roam around the mall together, and we could have 'brunch'. Does that sound okay?" JJ offered.

"That sounds great!" Emily agreed. "I'll see you there."

"Alright, bye Em," JJ hung up the phone.

"Ja-ack!" Emily hollered.

"What's up, Mom?" he called back to her.

"Get ready, because we're meeting Aunt JJ and Henry at the mall later."

"Alright. I'll be ready in ten."

Emily dragged herself up the stairs to get dressed and ready for the day ahead.

-BAU Building-

"Morning, Aaron," Rossi greeted brightly.

"Morning, Dave. How are you today?" Hotch asked, a cup of steaming coffee in his right hand, manila envelopes in the other.

"I'm doing just fine. And you?"

"A little tired, but I'm doing well. Look, I have a lot of work to do. Do you mind taking over as Unit Chief for the day?" Hotch pleaded.

"Of course, Aaron. You just stay in your office. Call me if you need coffee, food, a wake-up slap…" Rossi teased.

Hotch chuckled lightly. "Alright, Dave. Thank you."

"Anytime," Rossi closed Hotch's door as he disappeared behind his desk.

-Mall-

"Emily, I have a question," JJ began seriously. She and Emily were seated at a two-person table, right next to the café window.

"Uh-oh. What did I do?" Emily joked. She took a small sip of her smoothie.

"I'm serious, Emily," JJ convinced.

"Alright, alright. Go ahead, shoot," Emily stifled a chuckle.

"Are you… Are you still having nightmares?" JJ asked bravely. Emily was taken aback. She tried to speak, but instead, unfinished words were coming out of her mouth. JJ set her latte down and shook her head.

"You know what, forget I asked, Emily. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up. Let's move on," JJ said quickly, seeing Emily's face fall.

"Yes," Emily finally replied quietly. JJ nearly spit out her sip of latte.

"We don't have to talk about this anymore, Emily. It's okay. It was just a question," JJ assured her.

Emily shook her head. "No, it's okay, Jayje. You're right. It was just a question. And my answer is 'yes', I am still having nightmares."

JJ nodded slowly, collecting and arranging Emily's words together in her brain.

"Okay," she said quietly. She placed her warm hand on top of Emily's cold one.

"Do you want to talk about them somewhere else?" JJ offered. Emily nodded slowly.

"Okay. I'll call the boys and tell them we're leaving," she began to pull out her phone, but Emily shook her head.

"We can pick them up after. I kinda just want it to be the two of us. Is that okay?" she whispered pleadingly. JJ couldn't say no to the dejected look on Emily's face.

"Of course, Emily. I'll tell Jack we'll call him when we're picking them up, alright?" JJ helped Emily out of her seat and the two walked towards the parking lot.

-BAU Building-

"Need anything yet?" Rossi swung his head into Hotch's office to find him swamped with papers.

"A good whack over the head to knock me out forever would be nice," Hotch offered dryly, glaring down at the stupid paperwork in front of him. He slammed his pen down on the table.

"Woah there, Jethro. Hold your horses," Rossi joked in an attempt to calm Hotch down. Unfortunately, it only elicited a small, pointed look from Hotch.

"I just wish I could go home and spend time with Emily," he grumbled. Rossi looked down.

"Let's make us a deal. You finish up half the paperwork, and I'll take the other half. Sound good?" Rossi suggested. Hotch looked at him in disbelief.

"Dave, I'm only a quarter in, and so far it's taken me seven hours. I know these cases almost inside and out. Do you know how long this is going to take _you_?" he reminded the older man.

"Oh, please, Aaron. Just finish that up and I'll take over for you. Now hurry up, Emily must be missing you," Rossi insisted before closing Hotch's office door. With that, Hotch closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and continued his paperwork.

-Meanwhile-

"Shh… It's okay, Emily. It's all going to be okay," JJ whispered, trying to calm Emily down. She was now sobbing heavily into JJ's lap due to their 'chat' about her nightmares. JJ rubbed her hand back and forth down Emily's back.

"I-I'm so s-sorry, JJ," Emily cried. JJ frowned.

"For what? You're going to be okay," she promised Emily.

"Thank you, JJ," Emily whispered. JJ pressed a friendly kiss to Emily's hair.

"Anytime, babe. Let me call the boys, alright?" she pried Emily off of her and pulled out her phone.

"Hey Aunt JJ," Jack answered.

"Hey, buddy. I'm gonna come pick you guys up now, okay?" JJ said, heading out the door. Emily gave a weak wave and settled back onto the couch.

-Later that evening-

"Emily? Jack? I'm home," Hotch called, locking the front door. Immediately, Jack came up to him and placed his finger over his lips, gesturing to the couch.

There was Emily, curled up on her side, her head rested on a throw pillow. Hotch winced and tiptoed over.

He set down his briefcase, knelt in front of her, and dropped a soft kiss to her lips.

"Good night, Emily," he whispered. He gave her hair a small caress, and proceeded to go to bed.

**Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed! Review, please :) **


	21. Month Eight

**Author's Note: Hey guys! We're just ONE month away from Emily having her baby! Aren't you excited? (I know I am!) I'd just like to send a quick thank-you to all the viewers who have been following this story with all its double-chapters and sporadic email alerts. Thank you guys so much!**

**Month Eight**

"Ah, dammit," Emily grumbled. She was seated at the kitchen table, filling out some information sheets for their new home. Hotch had finally found the perfect place: Four-bedroom, ten minutes away from the beach, and just across the street from the sports park and shopping center.

She had dropped her pen, and it rolled under the table. Due to her stomach being the size it was, she was unable to bend over.

The bad part?

Nobody was home to pick it up for her.

So, she scooted herself down onto her butt and reached for the pen. Unfortunately, her stomach was in the way. She tried just about every position but bending over. After ten minutes, she still hadn't reached the pen.

Finally, she muttered "Screw this" and pulled herself up. She hastily waddled her way to the kitchen counter. She yanked open a drawer and pulled out an extra pen.

"Clever, Em," she whispered slyly to herself as she continued to fill out the forms.

-Later that day-

"Hello, my beautiful mommy-to-be," Hotch dropped a kiss to Emily's lips as he set down his briefcase.

"Oh, hey, babe. When did you get in?" she turned in her chair to face him.

"Just now. Did you finish filling out the forms?" he asked, pouring himself a cup of water.

"Yep! I mailed them off, too," she smiled.

"You, my lovely Emily, are amazing. Did you know that?" he chuckled, taking a sip from his cup.

"Yes, in fact, I did," she grinned. "Isn't Jack supposed to be home already?"

"Yeah, but he's…Uh… spending the night at a friend's house. He has to…uh…Work on a 'project'."

"Aw… What am I gonna do without my little baby Jack?" she pouted, completely missing his indisposition. Hotch laughed.

"I'm sure you can call him," he replied. She clapped a little.

"Yay! When is Dave getting home?" she asked curiously.

"He's not. He has a lecture at Georgetown College tomorrow morning, so he won't be back until tomorrow evening."

"So it's just us?" she grinned. He nodded.

"Yeah, and I rented a movie," he held up the RedBox CD case and waved it in the air.

"Ooh… What movie?" she asked, moving to the couch.

"_The Notebook_," he replied. She raised an eyebrow.

"I have actually never seen that movie," she realized. He looked at her in shock.

"You've never seen _The Notebook_?" he said in disbelief. She nodded, giggling.

"Is that such a bad thing?"

"It's only the most romantic movie _ever_!" he cried. She shook her head.

"Alright. I'll tell you what. I'll go change, you make some popcorn, and we can watch the movie in like, five minutes. Sound good?" Hotch offered, already halfway up the stairs. She grinned.

"It sounds great, love," she replied, ripping open the package of popcorn and placing it into the microwave.

-After the movie-

"That was beautiful," Emily whispered, a small tear escaping from her eye. Hotch pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Just like you," he whispered back. He wrapped his arms around her and she rested her head against his chest.

"You are the sweetest man," she giggled, kissing his hard jaw. He smiled down at her.

"I know," he teased. She rolled her eyes.

"Alright, I don't know about you, but I am heading to bed," she declared, stretching her arms behind her head.

"Don't leave me," he stuck his bottom lip out and feigned sadness. She giggled.

"As awkward, yet, undeniably attractive as that was," she teased, "I'm pregnant and tired. Do _not _get on my bad side," she warned him, leaning over to give him a kiss. He sighed like a child.

"Fine. I have a little paperwork to do, but I'll be up there. Good night, Emily," he smiled.

"Good night, Aaron."

-The next day-

"Mom? Dad? I'm home," Jack called from the front door, locking it behind him.

"Hey Jack. I just got home too," Emily greeted.

"Hey," he grinned, setting his things down by stairs. "Is Dad home?"

"No, he's out golfing with Dave and Erin's husband. Did you finish your project?" she inquired.

"Uh… Yeah…" Jack muttered, going pink.

"Jack? What did you do?" she asked knowingly, placing her hand on her hip. He looked up.

"I didn't do anything!" he exclaimed. She gave a quirk of the eyebrows.

"Did you have dinner yet?"

"Um, no, not yet. Why? What're we eating?"

"Honestly, I was too lazy to get off my butt earlier and make food. I'll just call for pizza. You down with that?"

Jack shook his head. "Yeah, Mom, I'm 'down with that'. Just promise me one thing?"

"What's that?"

"_Never_ say 'are you down with that' again," he joked. She rolled her eyes.

"Keep telling me that, and I'll show up to your school in sagging pants, a backwards hat, and a tank-top screaming, 'How was school, homie?'" she glared teasingly. He buried his head in his hands and laughed.

"Oh God. Please don't," he grinned, dragging his bags upstairs.

Emily chuckled, punching in the number for the pizza place.

"This is Romano's Pizza. May I take your order?" a male's voice asked.

"Hi, I'd like a large pepperoni pizza, please," she said, cradling the phone between her ear and shoulder.

"Of course. Your address?"

"7594 Sherman Avenue."

"Alright, your pizza will be there in about fifteen minutes."

"Thank you," she replied, hanging up.

"MOM!" Jack screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Jack? Jack, what's wrong?" she called back. He shot down the stairs, breathing fast.

"Th-the window in my room was _wide open_," he said frantically. Emily's stomach began to churn, and it wasn't because of Macy.

"What? Is anything gone?" she asked quickly, her heart starting to pound.

"No, nothing's gone, but…" he mumbled.

"But what, Jack?" she asked, noting his dropped eye contact.

He swallowed the lump in his throat. "There's words. Written on the floor."

"What?"

"It says 'You were wrong'."

"But…"

"And, Mom?" he continued. She looked up.

"I-it's written… in blood."

**Author's Note: Dun dun duuuuuun. ;) I know, I know. You thought I was done with my cliffhangers, right? Well… YOU WERE WRONG! You should've seen the look on your face! Anyway, the next chapter isn't going to be another month. It'll be a continuation of this chapter. I hope you enjoyed… :)**


	22. This Is All Wrong

**Author's Note: Here's the continuation of the cliffy! Tee-hee. This chapter is going to be longer than usual. :) Hope you enjoy!**

"_And, Mom? I-it's written in blood."_

Emily's heart was beating at a ridiculous rate. Her mouth was dry, and she searched blindly for words.

"C-call J-JJ," she mumbled, quickly grabbing her purse and cell phone. Jack snatched his phone from the kitchen table and helped Emily outside as quick as possible.

"Get in the car," she whispered, yanking the driver's door open. The two buckled themselves in and locked the doors.

"Aunt JJ?" Jack asked quickly.

"Jack? Are you guys alright?" she asked, sensing the terror in his voice.

"It's a lot to explain. Nobody's hurt, but you have to get down here, now," he closed the phone, leaving no room for debate.

-Five minutes later-

Soon, JJ's tires squealed down the street. She jerked to a stop in front of Rossi's house and flew out of her car, her gun at her side. Jack immediately rolled down his window.

"JJ, we need to get as far away from the house as possible," Emily said, her eyes wide.

"Why? What happened?" JJ asked, helping Emily out of the car and walking her to her own. Jack scooted into the back seat, only to find himself sitting next to Henry.

"What happened, Jack?" Henry asked, wearing the same expression as his mother.

"Someone broke in and wrote on the floor in my room with blood," he said plainly. Henry's eyes widened.

"What?"

"I know. We're all okay, though," Jack promised. Henry frowned.

"So that's what happened," Emily finished explaining to JJ in the front of the car. JJ took a deep breath and turned the corner.

"Wow…" JJ raised her eyebrows.

"Where are we going, Mommy?" Henry asked from the back.

"Uncle Morgan's place," she replied simply, still in shock with the whole situation. The four exited the car and rang Morgan's doorbell.

"Hey, Princess, Blondie! What's up? I see you brought Mr. Captain America and mini-Blondie with you," he greeted goofily, a giant grin on his face.

"Morgan, we need to come inside. Now," JJ whispered. The smile erased from Morgan's face.

"What's going on?"

"We'll explain to you inside, but we need to come in."

"Alright, come on in," he replied seriously. Emily, Jack, and Henry went in, while JJ and Morgan checked to see if they were followed.

After their sweep, Morgan locked the door and pulled the shades.

"What the hell is going on?" he demanded. Emily was lying on the couch next to Henry.

"I'll explain in the next room," JJ said softly, leading Morgan into the kitchen.

"Aunt Emily, are you okay? You're green," he said blatantly, addressing the color of her skin.

"Thanks, my dear. I've always wanted to be green," she chuckled. "I'm okay, though. Thanks for asking," she smiled.

"Mom, I called Dad. He said he and Uncle Rossi will be here as soon as possible," Jack piped up.

"Thank you, sweetie," she whispered, her eyes falling closed.

"Emily, are you alright?" Jack asked, immediately at her side.

"I'm fine, Jack. I'm just sleepy," she said softly just as JJ and Morgan walked into the room.

"Hey, Princess," Morgan whispered softly, sitting next to her.

"Hi," she whispered back.

"Do you want to sleep in my bed?" he asked kindly. She raised an eyebrow.

"That came out wrong," he chuckled sheepishly. She grinned.

"Just help me up," she laughed. He held out his hand for her to pull herself up, and JJ took her other arm. Together, JJ and Morgan walked Emily to Morgan's bedroom and helped her gently onto the bed. As she snuggled close to a pillow, JJ and Morgan pulled a blanket over her shoulders.

"Just rest, Emily," JJ whispered softly.

"We'll take care of everything else," Morgan promised. The two exited the room, closing the door behind them.

Just as they sat down on the couch with Henry and Jack, there was a knock at the door. JJ's eyes widened.

"Relax, Blondie, it's probably just Hotch and Rossi," Morgan told her. She nodded; a doubtful look was still on her face. Morgan looked through the peephole.

"See? I told you," he said knowingly. She rolled her eyes as he opened the door.

"Emily. Where're Emily and Jack?" Hotch asked immediately. Jack stood up quickly. Hotch pulled his son into a tight hug.

"Jack, are you alright?" Hotch asked immediately. Jack nodded against his father's chest.

"Where's Emily?" he asked Jack.

"She's sleeping in Morgan's room," Jack pointed. Hotch gave his son a squeeze on the shoulder and opened the door to Morgan's bedroom.

"Emily?" he whispered softly, finding her curled up on the bed under a blanket. He knelt down beside her and placed his hand on her blanket-covered shoulder. At his touch, she began to stir.

"Aaron?" she grinned sleepily. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She reached out and tousled his hair.

"I'm fine. I'm just… Shaken up. But I'm okay," she replied, the smile slowly diminishing from her face.

"I'll make sure Strauss puts our team on the case," Hotch promised. She swallowed hard.

"Thank you," she said softly. He climbed in next to her and stroked her hair.

"It's all going to be okay. You just have to trust me," he said quietly. She rested her head on his shoulder as he began to run his hands over her raised stomach.

"I will, and I do. Completely. I… It's just been so complicated, you know? I just got through that Doyle fiasco, and now this. It's hard, Aaron. But, oddly enough, I'm just… Happy. I'm happy that I have you and Jack and JJ and Penelope and everyone else to help me through this," she admitted. He nodded slowly, processing the words that had just come out of her mouth.

"I get it, Emily. I do. Thank you for telling me," he said quietly, pressing his lips to hers.

"You're welcome," she replied simply. Moments later, she was back in a deep sleep. Hotch dropped a kiss to her forehead and slipped out of the room.

"JJ, Morgan, Dave, can I talk to you three?" Hotch said, gesturing to the living room. Jack got the signal and took Henry to the kitchen.

"I'm going to head down to the BAU. I'll ask Erin if she can put us on this case. But promise me one thing. Treat this like any other case, or she'll take us off of it. You know her. Can you promise me just that?" Hotch asked. The three agents exchanged looks, then finally nodded.

"We promise, Hotch," JJ said firmly. Hotch nodded in thanks and stepped out of the apartment.

"Uncle Morgan?" Jack tugged at Morgan's sleeve.

"What's up, man?" Morgan asked.

"Can I talk to you?" Jack directed him to the corner of the room.

"Hey, are you okay?" Morgan inquired, looking at the boy. Jack shoved his hands in his pockets and shook his head.

"Honestly? I don't think so. What did Dad say just now?"

"Your dad told us that he was going to try and get our team on the case. He just made us promise to treat it like any other case that we've had before," Morgan explained.

"Any other case?" Jack repeated. Morgan nodded slowly.

"Jack-"

Jack stepped in. "You can't just treat this like any other case! Emily, my _stepmother_, was kidnapped, assaulted, and raped. Now she's pregnant with my dad's kid. You got the guys, and they're all dead. But now, words written in freaking _blood_ show up on the floor of my bedroom. This is not just _any other case_, Uncle Morgan. I may not know crap about the FBI, but you can't just take this lightly. This is Emily we're talking about."

"Woah, woah, woah, kid. Calm down. I get what you're saying, but you need to-"

"No! I don't need to do anything!" Jack shouted angrily, causing Rossi, JJ, and Henry to turn their heads. He yanked open the front door and hit the ground running.

"Hey! Jack! Get back here!" Morgan yelled, chasing after him. The door was left swinging open.

"Mommy? Is everything going to be okay?" Henry looked up at his mom.

"I hope so, baby. I hope so," she pressed a kiss to his forehead.

-BAU Building-

"Chief Strauss?" Hotch knocked on her office door.

"Come in, Agent Hotchner," she replied. Before turning the knob, he took a deep breath. He then pushed the door open.

"Can I help you?" Strauss asked with a pointed look.

"I need ask you something," he continued.

-Ten minutes later-

"There is _no _way in hell I am letting you on this case," Strauss said firmly.

"Please, Chief Strauss. I-I know we are way too close to this case, but please. This is the only way we have authorization to protect Jack and Emily," he explained. Strauss still shook her head.

"I will make sure to provide agents to follow them and protect them. I just cannot break pro-"

"Erin, at this point, I don't give a damn about protocol. That is my _son_. He's lost one mother already. Do you want him to lose another one? And Emily. She's going to be my wife. Look, I know this is breaking protocol, and I get that. But I can't let this happen to Jack. Not again," Hotch said, tears forming in his eyes. His throat began to close up. Strauss sat in silence for a moment, then finally spoke up.

"Alright. I'll let you on this case. But you must have a case file on my desk, six o'clock tomorrow morning, or you are off. Understand?"

"Y-yes ma'am."

With that, he flew out of the room and took off to Morgan's apartment.

-Later-

"We need to get Garcia on this blood sample," JJ said as CSU's bustled about her.

"I'll call her," Reid said, having arrived just moments earlier.

"Forced entry, obviously," Rossi noted the scratch marks on the ledge of Jack's window.

"Agent Hotchner?" a CSU called. Hotch made his way over to Jack's bed.

"What did you find?" he asked.

"This," the CSU handed Hotch a piece of paper with messy writing on it.

"'_As soon as one is born, one starts dying'_," Hotch read. His heart stopped.

"That's a quote from _Henry IV. _But what does that mean?" Morgam asked, oblivious. Hotch was now turning green.

"Emily," he whispered. "Once Macy's born…"

"Whoever did this is going to kill Emily," Rossi stated blatantly. With that, Hotch flew out of the room and locked himself in the bathroom. The rest of the team clearly heard him retching.

"This isn't good," JJ sighed. Suddenly, Rossi's phone rang.

"Penelope, you're on speaker. What do you have?" he asked.

"Alright. So, I did what you said and checked the blood swabs. It matches doesn't match Josh Tremblay's blood at all. Not even a little bit. It's a totally different blood type. But, I _also _did a little further research on my own. I ran height and weight matches of convicted relatives and all that good stuff. It turns out that Mr. Tremblay has a twin brother, Sean Tremblay. That means that it wasn't Josh who was killed. It was his brother," Garcia explained.

"So you're basically telling us that Josh is still out there and he's still trying to kill Emily?" JJ summed up in a question.

"Yes. But, there's also the problem that there's a dead John Doe out there," Garcia continued.

"Yeah, we got that. Thanks a million, Garcia," Reid said. Before hanging up, Garcia piped up once more.

"Stay safe, my pets. And make sure you protect my pregnant pussycat, alright?"

Then the line went dead.

"Has anyone seen Hotch?" JJ asked.

"Last I saw, he was puking up a lung in the bathroom," Rossi grimaced. JJ let out a sigh.

"Can someone go get him?" Rossi asked, frowning. Reid shifted in his place.

"I'll go," he said quietly. He made his way to the bathroom down the hall and knocked gently.

"Go away," Hotch groaned.

"Um, Hotch? It's me, Reid," Reid said into the door.

"What?"

"Hotch, you need to come out of there," Reid coaxed quietly.

"Why?"

"Emily and Jack. That's why. You need to be there for your family, Hotch. You have to do it for them. Nobody else. Just Jack and Emily," Reid continued to explain.

"You're right, Reid. You're right. I'll be out in a minute," Hotch replied hoarsely.

"Okay." Reid then made his way to the rest of the team.

"Is he coming?" Rossi asked.

"Yeah, he'll be out in a second," Reid replied. Moments later, Hotch walked into the room.

"You ready?" JJ asked. Hotch nodded.

"Let's profile," Rossi grinned widely.

-Morgan's Apartment-

"Jack, what was that about?" Emily asked, brushing his hair out of his eyes. He hung his head.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I just got so frustrated that nobody was paying attention to what's going on. They're all supposed to treat this like a regular case. I don't know why, though. I mean, this is you we're talking about," he said quietly.

"Jack, sweetie, please. That's how the FBI works. They can't just go around shooting random people just because of me. If I die, I die. That's just the way it is," she said simply.

"Emily! Don't say that!" Jack cried. Tears began to well up in his eyes again.

"Jack, I know you're worried about the baby. We'll be okay. I'll always be here," she promised, dropping a kiss to his cheek. He wrapped his arms around her stomach.

"I don't know what I would do if something happened to you and Macy," he admitted into her shoulder. Emily began to giggle.

"You sound like your father," she said, smiling. Jack shot her a mixed look: Amused horror.

"How could you be laughing?" he asked, bewildered. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and pulled him in close.

"Baby, I've been through enough crap to see the bright side in every situation," she replied. He looked up.

"I love you, Mom," he whispered. She smiled.

"Love you too."

-BAU Building-

_Ring, ring…_

"You are speaking to the ever-omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent Oracle of Delphi. What'cha guys got for me?" Garcia greeted quirkily.

Instead of hearing the usual spiel from Rossi or Morgan or JJ, a deep, breathy voice thundered over the other line. "Tell Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss that I'm on my way," it growled. The line went dead.

"Oh dear… My pregnant pussycat," Garcia whispered. Her shaking fingers punched in Rossi's cell number.

"Garcia, do you have something for us?" Rossi's voice came over the phone.

"I just got an interesting phone call…" She then proceeded to explain the recent situation in as much detail as she could.

"Alright, thank you, Garcia," Rossi hung up. He turned to the team with a grim look.

"He's going for Prentiss," he stated quietly. Everyone immediately flew out of the house and took off for Morgan's apartment.

-Morgan's Place-

_Knock, knock_

Jack's head snapped up. "Mom, someone's at the door," he whispered.

"Relax, sweetie. I'll get it." She hauled herself up from the couch and made her way to the door. She pulled open the door, only to be greeted by the muzzle of a gun.

"Well hey, babe!" Josh grinned evilly. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Josh," she said quietly. He raised an eyebrow and forced her inside.

"What?" he asked mockingly.

"Mom?" Jack called, stepping out from Morgan's bedroom. His eyes widened.

"Jack, lock to door, sweetie," she ordered. He shook his head and came up in front of her.

"I'm not leaving you out here with _him_," he said forcefully. Tears prickled behind her eyes.

"No Jack," she whispered. He stared Joshua in the eye, bravely overlooking the gun that was pointed at him.

_Ring, ring_

"Go ahead, Emily. Pick it up," Josh urged. She gulped and moved her hand toward the phone. His gun followed her every move.

"Aaron?" she answered nervously.

"Emily…" he sighed. "I'm so glad you're alright. Am I on speaker?"

"No," she replied. He lowered his voice.

"Is Josh there? Say no if he is," he instructed.

"N-no," she managed. Hotch's heart stopped beating.

"I am so sorry, Emily," he choked.

"Why? Aaron, this isn't your fault," she assured him.

"Yes, it is, Emily. It's entirely my fault," he argued.

"No, it's not, Aaron. This is nobody's fault but mine. I promise, he won't get to Jack. And Aaron, if Macy and I don't make it…" she couldn't force any words out. What would she say to him, anyway?

"Emily, don't talk like that. Please. I'm on my way," he promised, tears falling from his eyes.

_Good God, this is Haley all over again_ he thought.

"Aaron…" she whispered, beginning to sob.

"I love you, Emily. I love you so much. Tell… Tell Jack I-I love him," he managed.

"I love you too, Aaron," she said softly. She then turned to Jack, "Your father loves you so much."

"I love you too, Dad," he said loudly enough for Hotch to hear him.

"Say goodbye, Emily," Josh grinned wickedly. He reached out and pulled the phone away from her. He then pushed Jack out of the way and pressed the muzzle to Emily's forehead.

_I am going to die. I am pregnant with a baby girl, and I am going to die today_ she thought.

"Please, Josh. Take me, not her," Jack begged. Josh ignored Jack, resting his finger on the trigger.

"Goodnight, Emily," he whispered. All of a sudden, a shot rang out.

Joshua Tremblay fell to the ground with one last horrified smile. Dead.

"Aaron?" Emily gasped, in shock. Hotch was standing at the doorway, gun still drawn and smoking.

"Emily, Jack…" he breathed. He ran to his family and enveloped them in a hug.

"Oh God…" JJ said, coming up behind the three to throw her arms around Emily's neck. Morgan joined the hug, and soon Reid and Rossi obliged.

"Thank you," Emily mouthed to Hotch, out of sight of the others. He looked her in the eye and nodded.

"Dad…" Jack whispered to his father. Hotch took Jack in his arms and held him tight. Emily finally broke away from the hug, and returned to Hotch. He pressed a kiss to her lips.

"I love you both so much," he said firmly. On that note, ME's carried out Josh's body and left the team to themselves.

"Can I have a minute?" Hotch asked. The team nodded and headed out, Morgan's arm wrapped around Jack's shoulders. They shut the door behind them.

"Aaron…" Emily whispered. He pulled her face close to his and looked her deep in the eye.

"Emily, I love you so much. I am so sorry I wasn't here to protect you," he apologized, tears welling up in his hazel eyes.

"Aaron, it's not your fault," she managed. He shook his head.

"I should've been here. What would have happened if I didn't get here in time? You'd be dead," he reminded her.

"Aaron, if I die, I die. I'm not worried about me. I'm worried about Macy," she admitted.

"So am I. But this is about you right now. I love you, Emily. Don't forget that," he said, pressing his lips to hers.

"I love you too, Aaron."

**Author's Note: *has evil grin on face* I kept you waiting, didn't I? You know what I just realized? EMILY'S GIVING BIRTH IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! I'm excited to write that part ;) Hope you enjoyed! **


	23. Delivery

**Author's Note: Meep! It's delivery time! I don't really know much about giving birth or anything in that field. My mom used to deliver babies, but I don't really pay any attention when she talks. So, if some of the hospital stuff is off, well… Oops… Anyway, there may or may not be remotely disturbing stuff in here, so reader discretion is advised! Anyway, enjoy…**

**Month Nine**

-BAU Building-

"Emily! What are you doing here?" Reid grinned. She smiled and gave him an awkward hug.

"How are you, Spence?" she asked. He chuckled, his eyes dropping to her stomach.

"You are… _huge_," Reid managed. She giggled.

"Gee, thanks, Smart One. You want to touch it?" she asked. Reid looked at her hopefully.

"Really?" he asked, in awe. She smiled.

"Of course." He placed his bony fingers on her stomach and leaned his head in. As he pressed his ear against her stomach, a small fluttering feeling graced his hand. He gasped.

"Did you feel that?" he whispered, looking up at her.

"Of course, Spence. I can feel everything she does," she reminded him. Suddenly, a pain made itself known in the pit of her stomach.

"Ooh…" she gasped.

"Are you okay, Emily?" Reid asked, his eyes widening. "Was it something I did?"

She shook her head painfully. "No, Spence. You're fine. Ouch…" she grimaced. He helped her to a chair, but before she made it to the chair, she…

_Leaked _onto the floor.

"Oh my God," she gasped, trembling. JJ ran up behind her, dropping the papers that she had in hand onto the floor.

"Emily, I think your water just broke!" she cried, taking Emily by the elbow.

"Hotch! Emily's going into labor!" Garcia yelled, appearing momentarily after JJ. All heads in the office turned.

"I-But… What?" Emily sputtered in shock. JJ and Garcia led her to the elevator as Hotch ran after them and accompanied her to the car. Morgan had just pulled up into the parking lot of the BAU, and his car was still running.

"Derek! Drive, now," Garcia demanded. His eyes widened as he noted the already-sweaty Emily. She breathed heavily as Hotch and Reid helped her into the car.

"Step on it!" Emily yelped, speaking for the first time since they rushed out of the building. With that, Morgan pressed his foot down on the gas pedal and peeled out of the parking lot.

-Hospital-

"Excuse me? Excuse me, we have a woman going into labor here!" Hotch called to the nurses. Immediately, Emily was hauled onto a stretcher and whisked away to a delivery room. As Hotch signed her in, JJ pulled out her phone to let Jack know she was coming.

-Hours later-

"When do you think the baby will be out?" Henry asked Jack. Jack shrugged.

"I don't know. Soon, I hope," he sighed. His stomach was churning like never before.

"Will Aunt Emily be okay?"

"Of course, Henry. She'll be fine," Jack reassured the younger boy. Henry nodded contentedly and leaned back in his chair.

"How come we're not allowed to be in there?" Henry piped up again.

"We can't go in until Macy's born," Jack explain.

"Oh. Darn it," Henry pouted. Jack chuckled.

"What's 'oh darn it'?" he asked, amused.

"I wanted to see what it's like to give birth," Henry replied as if the answer was obvious. Jack couldn't contain himself from laughing, and finally, he burst. He patted Henry on the back.

"No, you don't, Henry. No you do not," he assured him. Henry shrugged and continued to swing his legs back and forth on his chair.

In these few moments of silence, Jack closed his eyes and interlaced his fingers with one another. He closed his eyes, let out a sigh, and tuned everything out around him.

_God_, he thought to himself, _Please let Mom and Macy be okay. I don't know what I would do if something happened to either one of them. I'm sure Dad would be pretty ripped up about it too. Just please let them both come out unharmed. I'm so excited to be an older brother, but I'm scared too. I know Emily said we'd still have time together, but I'm still nervous. What if they end up not paying any attention to me? What will I do then? Thank you though, God, for letting this happen. I'm so glad I'm finally going to have a beautiful baby sister_, he finished.

-In the delivery room-

"Oh. My. Fucking. God," Emily panted. Her legs were spread wide open, and Macy's head was just coming out.

"Come on, Emily, push. You can do this. She's almost out," the doctor coaxed. She clenched her fists as a fiery sweat broke out on her forehead. She felt her face burning up.

"Here, hold my hand," Hotch offered. Emily immediately grabbed it and held on tightly as her muscles contracted.

_Damn, she has a grip_, he thought to himself.

"Oh my God. Aaron, we are _never _doing this again, you hear me?" she shrieked angrily.

"Shh, shh, Emily, calm down," JJ said quietly.

"SHUT UP!" Emily roared back. JJ had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Morgan took her other hand in his and winced as she squeezed it painfully.

"Damn, Princess! Let up on that death grip, would you?" Morgan yelped, his hand searing with pain. She shot him a glare, as if looks could kill.

"Come on, _mi bella_! She's almost out," Rossi informed her. With one last effort-filled push, the doctor pulled Macy easily out of Emily.

"Wow…" Reid sighed, a smile on his face. Penelope rested her chin on his shoulder, tears filling up in her eyes. Emily began to sob as she saw the sight of her soon-to-be-husband and her new-born baby.

"Oh my God… She's beautiful," JJ smiled widely, tears prickling at the back of her eyes. Morgan began to tear up at the sight of the new baby.

Hotch held her gingerly in his arms. She was so light- so fragile. His heart was about to beat out of his chest.

"Hi, Macy. It's me, Daddy," Hotch smiled, whispering down to the baby's ear. He gently delivered Macy into Emily's arms.

"Woah…" Emily breathed. She had no idea something so little, so… _New_… could look this beautiful. She gulped as she stared at her baby's face.

"Get Jack and Henry in here," Emily whispered, tears streaming down her face. Morgan nodded and poked his head out of the room.

"Henry? Jack? Why don't you come on in?" he gestured to the boys. Jack's heart began to beat at an incredible rate. Henry looked up at him.

"Are you okay?" the young boy checked. Jack swallowed.

"I'm fine. Never been better," he managed, his insides beginning to explode. Jack peeked into the room and saw JJ, Reid, Penelope, his father, and Rossi all gathered around the bed where Emily was lying.

"Mom?" Jack whispered softly, breaking through the barrier of adults. His heart stopped the moment he laid eyes on Macy.

"Oh my God…" he breathed. She was absolutely perfect. Her pearly, almost translucent skin matched the color of Emily's, save for two rosy-red spots on her cheeks. Her nose was perfectly curved, just like Emily's. She had beautiful eyes- they were a mixture of Hotch's and Emily's: Light hazel in the center, gradually growing darker and darker around the edges of the eye. Her small, pink lips were curved into a barely-there smile. Her tiny, wrinkled fingers were curled around each other, held tightly to her neck. Thin, barely noticeable wisps of dark hair sat atop her small, smooth head.

"Can I hold her?" he whispered, a single tear falling down his face. Emily smiled.

"Of course, baby," Emily replied, being gentle as she transitioned Macy from her arms into Jack's. Macy was light in his arms; he let out a small sigh.

"Hey… Macy, it's me, Jack. I'm your big brother. Hi there," he cooed down at Macy. Macy just stared up into his eyes. He let out a nervous laugh and passed Macy to JJ, but not before Henry pressed a soft kiss to Macy's cheek.

"Guys, guys, guys! We need a picture," Penelope reminded them. Morgan handed the camera to the attending nurse as the entire team, Henry, and Jack gathered around Emily and Macy.

"One, two, three, cheese!" the nurse smiled, snapping a photo of the family.

"Thank you," Emily smiled. Macy stirred in her arms and moved a little bit.

"She's precious, Emily," Penelope whispered. "Can I hold her?"

"That's not even a question," Emily smirked, handing Macy over gently to Penelope. Soon, Macy was nestled in Morgan's arms, then Rossi's, and then finally Reid's.

"She looks just like you, Emily," Reid smiled. Emily gave a soft laugh.

"Thank you," she smiled.

"When do you get out of the hospital?" Penelope inquired.

"Tomorrow, I think," Emily replied. Penelope squealed.

"Okay, when you get out, Jayje and I are for sure-sies taking you out shopping," she warned. Emily giggled.

"Looks like we have another little Princess, huh?" Morgan joked. Macy gave a tiny yawn just as Hotch cradled her in his arms.

"Alright, Em, sweetie. I think I'm heading out. It's been a long day," Penelope leaned over and pressed a smacking kiss to Emily's forehead. She gave one last smile to Macy and waved at Hotch as her colorful heels clacked on the tile floor of the hospital.

"You did great, Emily. I'll visit tomorrow," Reid promised, smiling down at her. He patted Hotch on the back and blew a kiss to Macy.

"Good job, Princess," Morgan whispered, dropping a kiss to Emily's cheek. He smiled at Hotch and Macy, and followed Reid out of the room.

"Aaron, Dave, could we have a minute?" JJ asked politely. The two men nodded. Jack and Henry exited the room first, followed by Rossi. Hotch gently placed Macy into Emily's arms and bowed out of the room.

"She is absolutely incredible, Em," JJ smiled, brushing Emily's stringy hair out of her face. Emily let out a breathy laugh.

"Thanks, Jayje. This is just so surreal," Emily sighed, staring down at her sleeping baby's face.

"She's beautiful. You did a great job," JJ assured her, her eyes trailing down to Macy's face.

"JJ, I've been thinking…" Emily began. JJ raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"I want you to be Macy's godmother," Emily smiled widely. JJ broke into a grin.

"Emily! Are you serious?" she laughed. Emily nodded.

"Of course. Aaron and I haven't decided who the godfather is going to be, but, we'll cross that bridge when we get there, right?" Emily joked. JJ smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, Emily. You did a great job," JJ dropped a friendly kiss to Emily's hair and left the room.

And then, to nobody but Macy and herself, she whispered, "Yeah. I did, didn't I?"

**Author's Note: So? Did you guys enjoy that? Review please! :) **


	24. New Home, New Start

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry about the late updates. I've been really caught up with things as the school year was ending. Now that it's summer, I think I'll be able to crank out more updates. Enjoy! **

"Wow, this place is beautiful!" Emily sighed, cradling Macy in her arms. The family of four had just stepped out of Hotch's car and onto the front lawn of their new home. Emily inhaled the scent of the fresh, green grass. The smooth, beige colored structure and mocha-brown roof were inviting. There was a large willow tree in the front yard, complete with a rope and tire swing hanging from it. It was a storybook-perfect house.

"Mom, I wanna show you something," Jack grinned, leading her into the house. Emily breathed in the new-home smell. The entire house was already set up; the living room was put together; as well as the kitchen and the half-bathroom. A small office, perfect for Hotch, was also intact. Once Emily was done ogling, she handed Macy to Hotch as Jack pulled her up the stairs. Walking briskly past Jack's room, the guestroom, and the bedroom that Emily and Hotch would share, Jack lead her to the end of the hall.

"What's in here?" Emily inquired.

"It's Macy's room. Remember when I said I was at a friend's house a few months ago? Well, Dad, Uncle Morgan, Uncle Spencer, and Uncle Rossi and I were actually here, setting up her room," Jack beamed. Emily gasped as she pushed the door open.

The room was _perfect_. Macy's crib lay in the left corner of the room. It was a smooth mahogany. The pale green walls were adorned with pink flowers, butterflies, and bees. There was a framed photo of Emily, one of Hotch, and one of Jack hung up on one of the walls. A large, comfy rocking chair-sofa was set on top of a pink shag-rug. There was a woven basket of plush animals inside the room as well. A small cabinet with wood matching the crib was set in the corner opposite the door.

"Jack…" Emily began. She was getting choked up.

"Do you like it?" Jack grinned. She nodded, wiping away the small tears with the back of her hand.

"It's beautiful, Jack," she smiled. After checking out the other rooms, the two headed down the stairs. Hotch was seated on the couch in the living room, Macy cradled in his arms. Her chubby arm was raised, her fingers wrapped around Hotch's ear.

"Did you like the room?" Hotch grinned slyly. Emily climbed onto the couch and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"I _love_ it," she smiled, pressing a kiss to his stubbly cheek. Macy grinned at the sight of her mother's face.

"Ma-ma," Macy managed, staring at Emily. Hotch, Emily, and Jack's eyes widened.

"Her first word," Jack grinned, letting out a laugh. Macy began to wave her arms while repeating 'Ma-ma' over and over. Seeing the joy on Emily's face, Hotch gave an internal sigh. He handed Macy to Jack.

"Buddy, can I have a minute with Emily?" Hotch asked. Jack nodded, carrying Macy up the stairs.

"What's wrong?" Emily frowned. Hotch shook his head and pulled Emily's hips so that she was sitting on his lap. He took her hand and toyed with her engagement ring.

"About that…" he lead on with a smile. Emily turned to face him and ran her fingers through his hair. He picked up her light body bridal-style and swung her around, kissing her neck. Still standing up, he held his face close to hers.

"What about it?" she whispered, her arms wrapped around his neck.

"I already got the whole thing set up," he informed her, eliciting a surprised look. He set her down, her arms still resting on his shoulders. He placed his hands on the small of her back.

"What? Are you serious?" she breathed, smiling. He nodded.

"Now all we need to do is pick a date."

She bit her lip in thought. "As soon as the invitations are made?"

"They're already made. We just need to put a date on there," he grinned. She closed her eyes and let out a happy laugh.

"How about…" she began, still thinking.

"As soon as possible? Do you think we could get a dress in five days?" he asked. Her stomach began to tingle.

"Oh my God…" she smiled.

"That's a yes, right?" he grinned. She nodded and pressed a loving kiss to his lips.

"In five days, you'll officially be Mrs. Emily Hotchner," he winked. She giggled.

"Jack, c'mere," Emily called. He jogged down the stairs carefully.

"What's up?" he asked, Macy clinging to his shirt.

"We've decided on a date for the wedding. It's going to be on Saturday," she smiled excitedly.

"Wh-are you serious? That's awesome!" he grinned. Hotch nodded.

"I need to call the wedding planner to tell her the date. We'll mail out the invitations by tomorrow," Hotch grinned.

"Wow! That's… I can't believe it," Jack smiled.

"I'm kind of hungry. Do you guys want to grab dinner somewhere?" Emily frowned, her stomach grumbling.

"Let's go," Hotch said, shrugging his jacket on.

-Later that night-

Macy began to wail from her crib. Emily groaned and rolled over. 2:30 a.m., the digital clock read. At first, she began to drift back to sleep, but Macy continued to cry. Emily hauled herself out of bed and made her way to Macy's room. As she turned on the light, she was startled to find Jack already up, cradling Macy in his arms.

"Jack?" Emily whispered. He looked up.

"Oh, hey Mom. I was just trying to get her to stop crying. Go back to bed," he jutted his chin towards her bedroom. She smiled and wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"You are awesome," she grinned sleepily, pressing a kiss to his hair. He smiled as Emily walked out of the room.

"Yeah I am, aren't it?" Jack grinned down at Macy. She let out a sleepy coo as her small eyelids began to fall shut. Jack placed her gently back into her crib, but not before giving her a small kiss on the forehead. He turned out the lights and closed the door behind him, heading back to his own room to finally get some rest.

**Author's Note: Short, I know! Sorry guys. I just had to get something in there. Anyway, there's five days until the wedding, so from now on, each day leading up to the wedding will be its own chapter, kind of like the months of Em's pregnancy. :) **


	25. The Dress

**Author's Note: Okay, so… I'm really excited to write the wedding. Seriously. Alright, bye. **

**Day One**

"Good morning, dear," Hotch smiled as Emily began to wake up. He was already looping his tie onto his shirt.

"Oh, hey," she grinned tiredly.

"So, the invitations are already out there. We should be getting our RSVP's by email," he informed her, combing his hair out.

"Yay!" she clapped excitedly, climbing out of bed. He pressed a kiss to her lips as he latched together his briefcase and left the house.

"Jack? Are you awake?" Emily knocked on his door. She pushed it open to find Macy sitting on his chest, tugging at his messy mop of hair.

"Morning," he grinned. Emily chuckled, sitting down at the foot of his bed. Macy turned and gave her a confused look, then waved her arms at her mother.

"Do you wanna go to Mama?" Jack cooed, sitting up.

"Ma-Ma!" Macy managed. Emily giggled and cradled Macy in her arms.

"Jack, could you grab me her bottle, please?" Emily asked politely. Jack obliged and handed Emily the bottle of formula.

"Can I do it?" Jack asked. Emily smiled.

"Of course. Here, hold her head up like this. Tilt it back a little-there you go," she instructed. "Now, lift the bottle up a little higher so she can get the milk out… Perfect!"

"Go take a shower. I got this," he smiled. She kissed her two children on the forehead.

"If you need help, just holler," she got up, leaving creases in his sheets.

-Later, at lunchtime-

_Ring, ring!_

Emily picked up the phone, swallowing the last bite of her sandwich. She shifted Macy in her lap.

"This is Emily," she answered.

"Em! It's me, JJ," JJ greeted.

"Oh, hey! What's up?" Emily smiled, glad to hear JJ's voice.

"We got the invitations! Penelope and I are coming over there to take you, Macy, and Jack shopping. You need a dress, girlfriend! And Pen and I, being not only your bridesmaids, but your best friends, will do _everything_ in our power to make sure that you get the perfect dress! " JJ announced. At Emily's moment of silence, she added, "If you're not busy, of course."

"Oh, no! I'm not busy. How soon can you get here?" Emily replied.

"How soon do you want us?" JJ shot back quirkily. Emily chuckled as she hung up the phone.

"Jack, get ready. Penelope and JJ are picking us up in a few," she called to Jack, who was upstairs on the computer.

"Alright, I'm coming down right now," he called back. Soon enough, JJ and Penelope arrived, ringing Emily's doorbell.

"Hey, Pussycat!" Garcia greeted brightly, pecking Emily on the cheek. JJ threw her arms around Emily in a staggering hug.

"Geez, guys. You act like you'll never see me again!" Emily chuckled. The two blushed.

"Sorry. We just like you THAT much," JJ giggled. Emily rolled her eyes just as Jack walked down the stairs. Emily balanced Macy on her hip.

"You ready?" she asked Jack. He nodded, and the group took off for the bridal shop.

-David's Bridal-

"Good afternoon, ladies," a beach-blonde receptionist greeted. "And gentleman," she acknowledged Jack. "And may I ask who the lovely bride is?"

"Me," Emily piped up sheepishly, raising her hand just above her waist. The receptionist looked her up and down, then beamed.

"You are _gorgeous_, hon. I never would've guessed you just gave birth! Anyway, Max will be here soon. He'll fit you and your bridesmaids into some beautiful dresses. He can also find a dress for your beautiful daughter," the receptionist explained, smiling, her nametag indicating that she was to be called 'Sophie'.

"Thank you," Emily smiled. Garcia accepted Macy into her arms and took her outside for air, Jack following close behind. Emily leaned forward on her elbows and blew air out from her mouth. JJ rubbed her back.

"You'll be amazing, Em. There's nothing to be nervous about," JJ assured her soothingly. Emily frowned and shook her head.

"I don't know, Jayje. What if I get cold feet? I-I just wouldn't be able to face Aaron after that. Ever."

"Emily, do you love him?" JJ asked. Emily frowned.

"Of course, JJ, but that's not the-"

JJ cut her off. "Well, then you won't get cold feet. You and I both know, and _he _knows, that you love each other unconditionally. You're already an amazing mother. You're going to be an amazing wife, as well. You'll do great. I promise."

Emily had a doubtful look on her face, but trusted her best friend's wise words. At that moment, Max, the dress designer, pranced into the room. Thin-rimmed glasses were perched atop a perfect nose. His hair rose up into a curled puff, and his sharp navy suit matched well with his black leather shoes. Max's stunning green eyes settled on Emily, his face lighting up at the sight of her.

"YOU," he breathed, taking her hands, pulling her up, and twirling her around, "Are completely drop-dead brilliant." Emily blushed.

"I'm Emily," she smiled. Max grinned, looking her up and down.

"Oh, darling, you are going to make this _so _easy for me. Come, my dear. Let's go find you a dress."

Garcia, Macy, and Jack stepped in almost immediately. Max peered at Macy.

"Oh my, that is a _gorgeous _child you have there, Miss Prentiss. We can find her a beautiful little dress to match her mommy," Max cooed, chucking Macy gently under the chin with a long finger. The group followed Max through a narrow hallway, then stepped into a large, white, round room. An endless plethora of dresses hung from the walls, in different styles and sizes. A solitary white couch was placed in the center of the room, just across from the dressing stall. JJ, Garcia, and Jack took a seat, Macy cradled in JJ's arms. Max took Emily by the arm and led her in front of a mirror. He placed a hand on each side of her waist just under her chest and ran them down, stopping at her hips. He looked up sheepishly.

"You don't mind, do you?" he joked. She grinned and shook her head.

"Do what you gotta do."

So he continued on to take her measurements. Once he was finished, he stepped back.

"What kind of dress were you looking for? Do you want a shorter one, a long one…" he lead on. Emily bit her lip in though.

"You'd look hot in something form-fitting," Garcia piped up, grinning wickedly. Emily rolled her eyes.

"You know what, you are completely right, my dear!" Max smiled at Garcia. He cocked his hip to the side and thought. Finally, he pulled out at least seven dresses.

Unfortunately, every time Emily was sent to the stall, she came back, not feeling the dress. Max frowned.

"You're right. Those don't really flatter your body… I do have one that I wouldn't normally give to just anybody, but I think I can manage. I'll be back," he grinned brightly. He returned with a plastic bag carrying the 'secret weapon'. He handed the bag to her, and she returned to the stall once more.

She stepped out of the stall, and everyone gasped, including Max.

"Oh-my-God," he gasped, squealing excitedly. Emily grinned.

"How do I look?"

The dress was flowing and white. The bodice was tightly laced to match Emily's lean figure. There was a soft, silk wraparound that was sewn onto the dress, hugging her hips. The hem of the dress fluffed out a bit. A trail of beads formed in the shape of leaves dropped down to the very bottom of the dress, sparkling under the bright lights of the room. The straps of the dress were thin where they were attached to the dress, and grew wider as they covered her shoulders, almost forming a 'V'.

"Holy crap, Mom! You look amazing," Jack beamed. Even Macy had a small grin on her face.

"Em…" JJ started. There were no words to describe how beautiful she looked.

"My pussycat, you are _smokin_' hot!" Garcia giggled. Emily blushed and looked in the mirror. She _did _look amazing.

"Would you taking this one?" Max smiled, proud of himself for choosing the most gorgeous dress. Emily nodded, a lump in her throat.

"Okay, dear. Go get dressed, and I'll meet you all at the register." Max exited the room, leaving the women and Jack to themselves.

After Emily changed, Jack intertwined his arm with hers, like a true gentleman. "You looked really gorgeous, Mom," he grinned. Emily smiled.

"Thanks, babe. Let's go see the damage," she winced. Jack frowned.

"Dad didn't tell you?" he asked. Emily raised an eyebrow.

"Didn't tell me what?"

"The dress is already paid for," Jack said in a 'duh' tone. Emily laughed as the rest of the group moved on.

And to herself, she murmured, "Aaron, you are truly something else."

**Author's Note: Wow. Late update much? Sorry guys. I've been taking summer classes for HS. Really sorry. I'll try to get the updates in quicker. **


	26. Suits

**Author's Note: I know, I know. Late update much? Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy! I would also like to thank **

**Day Two**

Hotch came out of the bathroom, freshly showered, and rolled over on the bed, being careful to not wake Emily. He pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek and draped his arm over her shoulder. She stirred and gave a sleepy grin.

"Morning," she whispered.

"Morning, sleepy-head. The guys and I are getting our tuxedos today. Garcia and JJ are coming with us. Technically, that means _you_ have to come with us too," he growled into her ear before kissing it.

Emily smiled. "I can't wait to see you looking all sexy in that tux," she purred. He frowned.

"Don't I look sexy _all_ the time?" he grinned, kissing her on the lips. She rolled her eyes and pushed him off of her.

"You know, we never did ask anyone to be Macy's godfather," Emily pointed out seriously. Hotch brushed her hair back.

"Well, let's look over our options. Definitely not Sean, because… Let's face it. He'd be a _terrible _father," he joked. Emily bit her lip to keep from bursting out into laughter.

"There's always Dave," Emily offered. "Or Spencer."

"Dave is basically like a grandpa to Macy, remember? And, I don't want to sound selfish, but I want somebody that I know can completely invest themselves in our daughter. Spencer is already Henry's godfather," he reminded her.

Emily nodded in agreement. "Derek! I don't know why I didn't think of him in the first place. He would be perfect. He's strong, protective, and he would take great care of Macy. I know he would be focused on keeping her safe if anything happened to us."

"Exactly. How should we tell him?" Hotch questioned, pulling Emily out of bed and shoving her lovingly toward the shower.

"I have _no _idea," she shrugged, peeling off her clothes and climbing into the tub.

-Tuxedo shop-

"Have you ever wondered what Macy might be when she grows up?" Emily asked, smiling down at her young daughter.

"Of course, Em. Maybe she'll be a doctor, or a lawyer," Hotch threw out some suggestions. Morgan chuckled and gave Macy's head a gentle pat. Emily shifted Macy into his arms, grinning at the sight of the unknowing godfather.

"Are you kidding? This beauty is gonna be just like her Mommy; a kick-butt FBI agent," Morgan winked at Hotch.

As Morgan diverted his attention to Macy, Emily looked over at Hotch, her gaze suggesting she wanted to tell Morgan about his upcoming role as a godfather. Hotch immediately understood, and gave a discreet nod.

Emily placed one arm gently around Morgan's shoulders and leaned her head on his chest.

"But of course, her _godfather _is going to be in charge of keeping all those hooligan boys that'll be chasing after her in line," she led on slowly. Morgan chuckled.

"I know, right? Wait…" he paused, realizing what Emily, and in turn, Hotch, were telling him. "Wh-are you guys serious?"

Emily giggled and nodded, Hotch doing the same.

"Of course," Hotch replied, smiling. Morgan began to laugh, then looked down at the small baby in his arms.

From now on, it was _his _job to protect this little girl. Of course, there were parents for that. But, godparents were something different. He and JJ were supposed to spoil this angel. They were the ones that Macy could talk to if she didn't feel comfortable talking to her parents. They were her _godparents_. As daunting as the thought was, Morgan was honored.

And he knew, from that moment on, that he would do anything he could to give this young girl the best life she could possibly have.

"Thank you, so much. Both of you," Morgan looked over to Hotch. The three adults were smiling when Jack walked in.

"What're you guys all happy about?" he grinned. "Did you tell Uncle Morgan yet?"

Emily nodded. Just then, Reid, JJ, Henry, and Penelope walked in. Jack and Henry huddled in the corner, immediately pulling out their portable gaming systems.

"Hello, my pretties!" Penelope boomed, smiling widely. She plopped herself down next to Morgan and ran her hand down the back of his head. "How's my beautiful godfather?"

Morgan raised a brow. "How did you know?"

JJ chuckled. "Aaron and Em texted all of us before you guys got here."

"Yeah, congratulations, Morgan," Reid awkwardly extended a fist in an attempt to fist-bump Morgan, but the older man pushed his clenched hand back and shook his head.

"Please, Reid, for _everyone's _sake: _Never _do that again," Morgan teased. Reid shook his head, blushing, as everybody burst into a fit of laughter. Emily patted Reid's shoulder as he took a seat next to her.

JJ checked her watch. "Where's Dave?"

Hotch rolled his eyes. "You know him," he joked. "Is Will not coming?"

"Are you kidding? He has more suits in his closet than he does clothing," JJ snorted.

Finally, after fifteen minutes of waiting, Rossi showed up.

"Sorry, guys. Car trouble," he shrugged. Penelope rolled her eyes.

"Yeah right," she snorted. Everyone laughed again, this time, at Rossi's expense.

"I guess we can pick out our tuxedos now, right?" Reid prompted. The men stood up and began to spread out around the store.

"Jack, could you help Henry find a nice one?" JJ asked, smiling at her 'nephew'. Jack nodded and led Henry to the children's section of the shop.

"I think we should get matching suits," Henry suggested.

"I think I like that idea," Jack grinned. After a little while, they found a slick black suit in Henry's size, including a crisp, white, long-sleeved shirt to go under, and a solid, Navy-blue tie. They searched around for a matching suit in Jack's size, then finally resorted to the aid of a shop employee. They found the same suit and shirt in Jack's size, and the employee pulled a Navy-blue tie out of the back.

"Let's go try these on." Henry immediately took off for the dressing rooms and split up.

Meanwhile, Morgan and Reid were busy searching for their suits. They pored over the racks, and Reid finally found one. It was a light gray color, with a dark blue inside lapel. Underneath was a white dress-shirt and a black tie. He left Morgan alone to try on his suit.

After a long while of searching, Morgan found one that he liked the most. It was a darker gray than Reid's, with a black inside lapel. The tie he would wear matched the outer color of the suit. He slung the suit over his back, dangling it by the hanger on his fingers, and made his way to a dressing room.

On the other side of the shop, in the other dressing rooms, Rossi had already chosen his suit. It was a dark blue suit with a black tie and a white shirt. Unfortunately for Hotch, his old wedding suit was a rental, due to his thought that he wouldn't marry again. How wrong was he?

He stepped out in a revolting brown colored suit and shook his head. "Why the _hell _did you get this one for me?" he glared at Rossi. Rossi held his hands up in surrender.

"Sorry, I was just grabbing a bunch to give you options," he replied. Suddenly, Emily swung around the corner.

"Hey, JJ, Pen, and I are going to grab lunch and… Woah," she stopped in her tracks, looking Hotch up and down. "What the actual _hell_ are you wearing?"

Hotch began to laugh. "Relax, babe. This is _not _my suit. Smooth guy over here," he gestured to Rossi, "picked this one."

Emily frowned and ran her fingers over the rough material. "Damn right it's not your suit. Please change. Even _you_ can't pull that off," she joked, giving him a kiss.

"Anyway, the girls and I are going to lunch, alright? Call me when you're done," she smiled, rippling her fingers in a wave. He captured her hand and gave it a light squeeze.

"You got it." Hotch returned to the dressing stall, shedding the repulsive colored suit.

About thirty minutes later, they finally found the perfect suit. It was pure black silk with a wide lapel.

"Do you think Emily will like this?" he wondered aloud to Rossi. The older man stood back and admired his friend.

"You look like a real champ," Rossi grinned.

"Thank you, Dave. I'll go change, and then we can pay." In the safety of his dressing stall, Hotch carefully peeled off his suit and changed his clothes.

"You ready?" Rossi patted Hotch on the back as he nodded.

"Let's go."

**Author's Note: So? Did you like? Review please!**


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